Event Highlights

Meet our speakers A global network of industry & thought leaders

Our carefully curated speaker lineup includes C-level executives, top safety experts and senior decision-makers from the global autonomous mobility industry.

Speakers 2023

Registration is now open! You can join us in-person or virtually

Start making plans to attend in Vienna or virtually, and get ready for a full day dedicated to safety for autonomous driving.

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Motto & Key Topics in 2023 Moving beyond the hype: Unlocking potential

Discover the latest autonomous mobility developments, business models, safety challenges and solutions. Move beyond the hype & join us to unlock the potential of AV technology.

Agenda 2023

2022 Key Topics Act to Impact: Safe Autonomous Mobility

Curious about the key takeaways from The Autonomous Main Event 2022? Read through our recap article and discover the topics discussed on the main stage.

Recap 2022

Join the ecosystem Working towards Global Reference Solutions

You are invited to join forces in harmonizing safety in the autonomous mobility ecosystem.

The Initiative

Save the Date

We are thrilled to announce our next annual The Autonomous Main Event, coming to Vienna in a hybrid format on September 14, 2023!

Incredible speakers, C-level executives, and technical experts from across the world will gather for unparalleled in-person and virtual networking opportunities to advance the future of safe autonomous mobility.

Preliminary Agenda

The Autonomous Main Event is held on September 14 from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm CEST

Under the motto, Moving beyond the hype, The Autonomous Main Event 2023 will shed light on the pioneering work that has been achieved so far, but also the current limits of automation from a safety point of view and the economic viability of AV technology. By attending, you can expect to hear on a wide range of topics.

Click on each session to see the detailed description.

08:00
09:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
Main Stage
Main Stage
Doors Open for Participants' Check-in
08:00 - 09:00
Networking & Coffee

Welcome Address
09:00 - 09:30

Opening Remarks by Ricky Hudi, Chairman of The Autonomous & Philip Schreiner, Head of The Autonomous

Keynote I
09:30 - 09:50
Oliver Hoffmann - Audi

To be announced soon

Panel I
09:50 - 10:30
Safe architectures: how far can safety by design go?

The act of driving a car presents significant risks to both passengers and other drivers on the road. Despite this, manual driving has become incredibly safe, with the injury rate being at an all-time low.

However, the introduction of automated driving requires the transfer of highly safety-critical responsibilities from humans to computing systems, emphasizing the need to ensure that these systems meet our expectations for safety. Given that driving is an intricate task, creating a failure-free system without considering potential failure modes and their implications is seemingly impossible. One approach is to define a comprehensive system architecture that can break down the complex requirements of an automated driving system.

But how far can this top-down “safety by design” approach go? What are its benefits and limitations?

45 Minutes - Networking Break
10:30 - 11:20

Keynote II
11:20 - 11:40
Lars Reger - NXP Semiconductors

To be announced soon

Panel II
11:40 - 12:20
Keeping fresh over lifetime: what are the opportunities & challenges of software-defined vehicles?

Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) technology lays the foundation for self-driving cars. It is a work in progress that has come a long way and will see substantial advances in the next decade. By providing access to the latest safety, security, comfort, and convenience features, as well as over-the-air (OTA) updates, improved vehicle life-cycle management, and vehicle reporting, the SDV aims to significantly improve mobility. It seeks to transform the traditional vehicle-ownership experience by constantly enhancing and expanding its capabilities throughout its lifespan.

However, as with any new technology, with these advantages come increased risks. Safety-related software crashes, remote cyber threats, and significantly increased design complexity are among the top concerns for the industry.

Networking & Lunch
12:20 - 13:50

The Autonomous
13:50 - 14:20
Update from The Autonomous Team

To be announced soon

Keynote III
14:20 - 14:40
To be announced soon

To be announced soon

Panel III
14:40 - 15:20
Safe architectures: how far can safety by design go?

The act of driving a car presents significant risks to both passengers and other drivers on the road. Despite this, manual driving has become incredibly safe, with the injury rate being at an all-time low.

However, the introduction of automated driving requires the transfer of highly safety-critical responsibilities from humans to computing systems, emphasizing the need to ensure that these systems meet our expectations for safety. Given that driving is an intricate task, creating a failure-free system without considering potential failure modes and their implications is seemingly impossible. One approach is to define a comprehensive system architecture that can break down the complex requirements of an automated driving system.

But how far can this top-down “safety by design” approach go? What are its benefits and limitations?

Panel III
14:40 - 15:20
Regulation – a bottleneck or a facilitator of autonomous driving?

Regulation of autonomous vehicles is an increasingly relevant topic in the automotive industry and has a substantial impact on the success and progress of safe automated to autonomous mobility. There has been extensive development in AV regulations worldwide, especially in 2022.

As of July 2022, new rules for autonomous vehicles took effect in the EU, already requiring a number of advanced driver assistance systems to be installed in all vehicles sold in the EU with the aim of improving road safety. In parallel, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Administration issued last year the final rules for the production and deployment of driverless vehicles, with several companies already permitted to test highly automated or self-driving vehicles on U.S. roads.

However, establishing regulations that foster innovation and, at the same time, promote safety is a challenging task that requires a multidisciplinary steering committee and a continuous exchange among engineers, politicians, lawmakers, insurers, NGOs and the general public.

45 Minutes - Networking Break
15:20 - 16:10

Panel IV
16:10 - 16:50
Autonomous commercial vehicles in the spotlight – are they leading the race?

Commercial vehicles play a key role in the AV market and are likely to become a viable business model. In particular, the recent advances in the development of autonomous trucks signal a heavy focus on freight transportation and new logistics trends. The transition towards industrial and commercial applications indicates a rising interest in addressing practical issues, such as the worldwide shortage of drivers, using autonomous vehicle technology.

Panel V
16:50 - 17:30
Scene understanding: how do self-driving cars "see the world"?

Autonomous vehicles employ an assembly of complex sensors and perception algorithms to figure out what’s happening around them and to make a decision about what to do next. Safely getting a vehicle and its passengers from point A to B is no simple matter.

Sensing and analyzing the world at a granular level is crucial in making self-driving cars a viable transportation option. There is a myriad of challenges for the next generation of autonomous vehicles and their ability to sense the road, other vehicles, bikes, pedestrians, or even the road lines when construction throws ambiguous detours into the mix.

Mingling & Networking
17:30 - 19:00

Workshop Room 1
Workshop Room 1
Workshop Room 2
Workshop Room 2

Speakers 2023 Big names, bigger ideas

Meet this year's industry leading speakers and moderators

AUDI AG
CTO & Member of the Board of Management
Oliver
Hoffmann
AUDI AG
CTO & Member of the Board of Management
LinkedIn

Oliver Hoffmann is the Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Management at AUDI AG, holding responsibility for the Technical Development division. He has a Master's degree in mechanical engineering and started his career in 2004 in the Technical Development division at Volkswagen AG. With over 15 years of experience at AUDI AG, he held various positions, including Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and Head of Powertrain Development.

The Autonomous
Chairman
Ricky
Hudi
The Autonomous
Chairman
LinkedIn

With over 32 years of experience in the automotive and technology industry, Ricky Hudi acts as Chairman of The Autonomous. Passionate about innovation and the development of autonomous driving technologies, Ricky is a true pioneer in the mobility sector. After holding various roles at BMW AG and AUDI AG he took over in January 2009 as EVP Development Electrical/Electronic AUDI AG. He also founded his own company “FMT – Future Mobility Technologies” and is leveraging a world-wide network of key players in the autonomous driving industry.

Elektrobit
Chief Executive Officer
Maria
Anhalt
Elektrobit
Chief Executive Officer
LinkedIn

Maria Anhalt is Chief Executive Officer at Elektrobit Automotive GmbH, an award-winning software company and developer of embedded software products for the automotive industry. Prior to joining Elektrobit, she worked as Senior Vice President, Head of Cross Divisional Systems & Technology at Continental for two years. Earlier in her career, Maria Anhalt worked at HP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Micro Focus in various business management, business development and R&D management positions, especially regarding Hybrid Cloud and Automation Software.

NXP Semiconductors
CTO & Executive Vice President
Lars
Reger
NXP Semiconductors
CTO & Executive Vice President
LinkedIn

Lars Reger is executive vice president and chief technology officer for NXP Semiconductors. He is responsible for managing new business activities, R&D in automotive, industry 4.0, the internet of things (IoT), mobile and connectivity & infrastructure. Prior to joining NXP as CTO of the automotive division in 2008, he was responsible for business development and product management within Continental’s connectivity business unit. In December 2018, Lars was appointed NXP’s CTO and has since then been responsible for the technology portfolio of NXP.

Carnegie Mellon University
Associate Professor
Phil
Koopman
Carnegie Mellon University
Associate Professor
LinkedIn

Phil Koopman is an internationally recognized expert on autonomous vehicle safety whose work spans over 25 years. Phil has been actively involved with AV policy and standards as well as more general embedded system design and software quality. He was the principal technical contributor to the UL 4600 standard for autonomous system safety issued in 2020. An Associate Professor at the Carnegie Mellon University ECE department, he teaches software skills for mission-critical systems.

TTTech Auto
CTO
Stefan
Poledna
TTTech Auto
CTO

Dr. Stefan Poledna is the co‐founder of TTTech Group and CTO at TTTech Auto. He is responsible for the technology roadmap, all scientific topics and quality management in both companies. Dr. Stefan Poledna has over 30 years of international industry experience in innovative embedded systems development. He has authored several patents with a focus on safety, communication, and automated driving. He received his Ph.D. degree in computer science with distinction from Vienna University of Technology, where he also lectures on Dependable Computer Systems.

Cruise
Vice President of Global Government Affairs
Prashanthi
Raman
Cruise
Vice President of Global Government Affairs
LinkedIn

As the VP of Global Government Affairs at Cruise, Prashanthi Raman has nearly 15 years of experience navigating complex political environments. She oversees public policy and regulatory issues worldwide for the all-electric, autonomous vehicle company. Previously, Prashanthi was Head of State and Local Government Relations at Lyft, where she played a key role in expanding the ridesharing industry across North America.

UNECE Working Party on Automated, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles
Chairman
Richard
Damm
UNECE Working Party on Automated, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles
Chairman

Richard Damm is President of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA) in Germany. He is also chairman of the UNECE Working Party on Automated, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles in Geneva where the globally effective regulations on automation of vehicles are generated. Before being appointed President of KBA, Mr. Damm served at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure in Bonn and Berlin. Richard is an internationally recognized expert in the field of the worldwide harmonization of vehicle regulations.

POSSER SPIETH WOLFERS & PARTNERS (pswp)
Founding Partner
Benedikt
Wolfers
POSSER SPIETH WOLFERS & PARTNERS (pswp)
Founding Partner
LinkedIn

Benedikt Wolfers is a founding partner of POSSER SPIETH WOLFERS & PARTNERS (pswp), a law firm specialized in national and international regulation for different industries, notably automotive, energy, finance and infrastructure. He has been engaged for many years in the design and approval process for SAE L3 and 4 systems and the development of homologation and road traffic law. He is advising OEMs, semiconductors, tier 1 companies in Europe and the US and has long-standing experience with national and international regulatory bodies and governments.

Kodiak Robotics
Vice President of Commercialization
Michael
Wiesinger
Kodiak Robotics
Vice President of Commercialization
LinkedIn

Michael Wiesinger is the Vice President of Commercialization at Kodiak Robotics. He drives business development and major partnerships and defines Kodiak's commercial products to optimize value for customers. His career in automotive and supply chain industries includes work at Detroit Diesel, BCG, and Ware2Go. Michael also launched a ride pooling service for Gett in London. He holds a Master's in Industrial Engineering from Vienna University of Technology and a Master's in Management from Vienna University of Economics and Business

Plus
Vice President Global Business Development
Sun-Mi
Choi
Plus
Vice President Global Business Development
LinkedIn

Sun-Mi Choi is Vice President of Global Business Development at Plus, where she leverages her expertise in the new mobility landscape and global market understanding to build meaningful partnerships to support Plus’s global deployment of its autonomous driving technology. Prior to Plus, Sun-Mi spent a decade at Bosch, starting in Bosch’s corporate headquarters for Marketing and Sales in Stuttgart, then relocating to Shanghai, where she served as Chief of Staff to the Board Member responsible for Asia Pacific.

Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President Legal Product & Technology
Jürgen
Gleichauf
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President Legal Product & Technology
LinkedIn

Jürgen started as an attorney at Daimler. Over the years, he handled purchasing law, logistics, and IT for smart and Daimler Chrysler. He then joined Mercedes-Benz Cars and Vans' procurement in 2003. After leading the export department at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, he returned to Germany as Divisional Compliance Officer. In 2016, he became Head of Legal Processes and Prevention. Currently, as VP Legal Product & Technical Compliance at Mercedes-Benz Group AG, he also serves as Chief Compliance Officer and Human Rights Officer.

Host and event moderator 
Jennifer Sarah
Boone
Host and event moderator 
LinkedIn

Jennifer has spent her entire adult life on stages, in front of the camera or at the microphone, in Trinidad &Tobago, the UAE and Europe working as a performing artist, presenter and voice over artist. Additionally she studied media management and media journalism and is currently doing her master's in business psychology. Continuously learning and receiving new perspectives is her great passion. In her free time she loves to travel to new places, spend time with friends and family or try out any kind of sport.

University of Miami
Professor of Law
William H
Widen
University of Miami
Professor of Law

William H. Widen is a Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Florida. He is a cum laude graduate with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an A.B. in philosophy with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Before joining the legal academy, he was a partner in the New York office of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, practicing in the corporate department.

The Ojo-Yoshida Report
Panel moderator - Regulation - a bottleneck or a facilitator of autonomous driving?
Junko
Yoshida
The Ojo-Yoshida Report
Panel moderator - Regulation - a bottleneck or a facilitator of autonomous driving?
LinkedIn

Junko Yoshida has always been a “roving reporter” in the most literal sense. After logging 11 years of international experience at a Japanese consumer electronics company, Junko pursued a peripatetic journalism career, breaking stories and securing exclusives. She writes and speaks authoritatively on consumer electronics, automotive, semiconductors, emerging technologies, technology’s impact on people & society and intellectual property, with a deep understanding of the business strategies that companies are pursuing to compete on a global scale. ‌

BASELABS
Director | Co-Founder
Holger
Löbel
BASELABS
Director | Co-Founder
LinkedIn

Holger Löbel is the director of business processes and infrastructure and co-founder of BASELABS. He is further active as a senior business development manager. In the latter role, he is responsible for business development and key account management with a focus on the US and Scandinavian markets. He holds a business administration and science diploma from Chemnitz University of Technology. Prior to starting BASELABS, Holger worked as a Strategy Consultant at Infineon Technologies.

Qualcomm Europe/MEA
Senior Vice President & President
Enrico
Salvatori
Qualcomm Europe/MEA
Senior Vice President & President
LinkedIn

Enrico Salvatori is senior vice president & president of Qualcomm Europe, Middle East and Africa. In this role, Enrico is responsible for Qualcomm’s EMEA strategy, ensuring that OEMs and operators drive new technology adoption throughout all EMEA markets. His role oversees all areas of technology innovation, including smartphones, automotive, IOT, connectivity and the transition to 5G. Enrico joined Qualcomm in 2002 as a member of the product marketing team in Europe for QCT. He has a master’s degree in electronic engineering from the University of Rome.

KTH Department of Machine Design
Panel moderator - Safe architectures: how far can safety by design go? | Professor in Embedded Control Systems at KTH
Martin
Törngren
KTH Department of Machine Design
Panel moderator - Safe architectures: how far can safety by design go? | Professor in Embedded Control Systems at KTH
LinkedIn

Martin Törngren is a Professor in Embedded Control Systems at the Mechatronics division of the KTH Department of Machine Design. He has authored/co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications. He served as the technical coordinator of the international iFEST ARTEMIS project with 21 partners. From 1999-2004 he served as the Chairman of the Swedish real-time systems association, and he has represented KTH as a core partner in the EU networks of excellence in Embedded systems design, Artist2 and ArtistDesign, and in the Artemis industrial association.

Event Location A hybrid event experience

The Autonomous Main Event takes place in the Imperial Palace (Hofburg) in Vienna as well as virtually. Through an innovative hybrid event experience, we will bring our participants the best of both worlds, facilitating interaction between online and on-site attendees.

Hofburg, Schweizerhof, 1010 Vienna
Get directions
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Our partners

Baselabs
CoreAVI
Infineon
TTTech Auto
Hexagon
PSWP
Fraunhofer IESE
ABA Invest Work Film
McKinsey & Company
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Green Hills Software
MathWorks
Become a partner

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