With around 120 participants, the fourth TACHELES conference, held in Karlsruhe on May 7–8, 2026, continued its growth trajectory. Over two days, representatives from industry, academia, and the public sector came together to tackle key questions around autonomous and connected driving (CAD), with a strong focus on Europe’s innovation capacity, technological sovereignty, and structural challenges.
Setting the stage: from technology to systems thinking
The keynote sessions on the first day made one thing clear: the conversation around autonomous driving is shifting. It is no longer just about individual technologies, but about the bigger system as a whole. Issues such as access to data, the speed of development cycles, and global competition—especially in comparison with China—set the tone. Scenario workshops later that day explored these themes from a more practical perspective, underlining how essential well-functioning ecosystems are for future success. The day wrapped up with a showcase at the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, highlighting the wide range of research activities in autonomous and connected mobility.
Day two: turning tech potential into real-world impact
The second day zoomed in on the technological backbone—this time with a clear industrial policy angle. Three dedicated workshops translated the high-level questions into concrete areas for action. Topics included automotive foundation models, the use of simulation and synthetic data to tackle safety-critical situations, and emerging approaches such as agentic and embodied AI aimed at making autonomous systems more robust and adaptable.
A common thread ran through all sessions: the technologies themselves are largely in place. What’s often missing is the framework to make them truly effective—shared data ecosystems, standardized interfaces, and more coordinated development efforts. Across the board, it became clear that the main challenges are less about technology itself and more about how stakeholders, processes, and conditions align.
Closing panel: from discussion to delivery
The final panel focused on what all of this means in practice for policymakers and industry leaders. Panelists addressed key barriers, particularly around regulation and data protection, identified priority areas for investment, and debated which technologies will be critical for Europe’s future competitiveness. At the same time, a central takeaway emerged: the issue is not a lack of insight, but a lack of implementation.
TACHELES 2026 showed that the technological foundations for autonomous and connected driving are steadily advancing. However, the real need for action lies at the structural level. One thing is certain: there will be plenty to discuss at the next TACHELES conference in 2027.
EICT’s role
EICT once again brought its network as well as full communications and event expertise to the table—supporting the FZI Research Center for Information Technology in planning, shaping the content, organizing, and delivering the event.
Picture: FZI/Sandra Göttisheim