Schaeffler and Sonatus, a leader in intelligence-driven, software-defined vehicle technology, today announced a global partnership to bring Edge AI into motion control solutions for software-defined vehicles (SDVs). By combining Schaeffler’s control units with Sonatus’s AI-driven software, the companies enable intelligence directly at the vehicle edge – accelerating development, reducing complexity, and unlocking continuous improvement throughout the vehicle lifecycle.

Software-defined vehicles require more than powerful hardware — they depend on seamless interaction between hardware, software, and data. The joint solution integrates Sonatus Collector AI and Sonatus AI Director into Schaeffler’s control units, creating a ready-to-use foundation for next-generation vehicle architectures and ensuring a faster time to market.

“Software-defined vehicles require a robust and scalable hardware foundation,” said Thomas Stierle, CEO E-Mobility at Schaeffler AG. “Our control units run data-driven and AI-based functions within the vehicle, enabling the next generation of vehicle architectures.”

As The Motion Technology Company, Schaeffler contributes its cross-domain control units and comprehensive system integration expertise across powertrain, energy, chassis, and body domains — enabling centralised and zonal architectures that form the backbone of an SDV.

Sonatus brings to the partnership a proven track record in production-grade, AI-driven technology for software-defined vehicles that is deployed in more than 8 million vehicles. Its solutions extend Schaeffler’s systems with embedded AI capabilities:

Sonatus Collector AI enables targeted, real-time data collection without relying on large-scale data logging

Sonatus AI Director allows the deployment and lifecycle management of AI models directly on the vehicle

“Hardware centralisation is the first step; the software-defined vehicle is realised when AI can be running at the edge and when hardware continuously learns and adapts. Together with Schaeffler, we are turning static control units into dynamic, intelligence-driven systems,” said Jeff Chou, CEO and co-founder of Sonatus.