CES Tech Talk podcast, now in season 7, features interviews with experts bringing you an insider’s look at what’s new and trending in consumer technology, and at CES. Subscribe to get the latest episodes. What do smart phones and emerging electric and autonomous cars have in common? With mobility-software startup Apex.AI, they’ll be nearly as easily configured and updated. That’s the mission of this CES 2024 exhibitor and CTA member, as articulated by Jan Becker, president and co-founder. In season 7, episode 13, Driving Into the Digital Fast Lane, of the CES Tech Talk podcast series, Becker explains how and why the sector’s future is software-defined. Top Four Takeaways Electric, connected, autonomous cars can be simply and securely updated through a central architecture that also allows for the addition of new applications and features. Apex.AI is working to speed up this reality through its products designed to make all of this possible. Apex.AI has produced a software development kit (SDK), a toolbox of sorts, with preconfigured and modular software. The SDK building blocks are also pre-certified so that developers can quickly design and deliver new applications and enhanced functionalities. Four trends are sparking the transition from today’s combustion engines to electrification. First is the increasingly software-centric systems manufacturers are building into cars. Second is consumer demand for cleaner fuel. Third, consumers want integrated connectivity to the Internet, to the cloud, in their cars. Fourth is autonomy, and drivers’ desire to configure car features and functions more easily. Becker anticipates powerful demonstrations of AI at CES 2024. He expects exhibitors to display “really meaningful” AI applications for cars, including generative AI for vehicle software development. They Said It “…Tesla is really a good example for [the software-enabled ecosystem]. It's really a smartphone-like experience. As an example, taking an electric vehicle in Germany today, at some point, you need to charge. You need to approach a charger. I roughly know when I'm going to be at a charger. I want to be at a charger, and that the charger is available. I connect and it actually works. Should be a seamless experience…So, where one company [Tesla] owns the whole software across the vertical integration, that actually works really well and is very seamless. We do not, unfortunately, have that yet…across other manufacturers.” Jan Becker (19:39) “For us, CES starts on Sunday…where we'll meet journalists. We'll have a press conference and talk about our products. We have a booth in the West Hall. The West Hall is actually working well for us because you have all the automotive companies really co-located in one space…[W]e have a booth where we'll showcase both our solutions, our partner solutions, and that has worked really well for us last year. We have a meeting space on the second floor. We built our booth across two levels. So, we can also meet upstairs while we showcase demos downstairs. And then, of course, we will meet with investors…We're looking forward to CES.” Jan Becker (21:58) Jan Becker, President, CEO and Co-Founder, Apex.AI Jan Becker is president, CEO and co-founder of Apex.AI, Inc. He is also managing director of Apex.AI GmbH, the company’s subsidiary in Germany, chairman of the board of Apex.AI Sweden AB and managing director of Apex.AI Japan GK. Prior to founding Apex.AI, Becker was senior director responsible for autonomous driving at Faraday Future and director at Robert Bosch LLC in North America where he was also responsible for autonomous driving. In other roles, Becker served as a senior manager and principal engineer at the Bosch Research and Technology Center in Palo Alto, CA, and as a senior research engineer for corporate research at Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany. He earned a Ph.D. in control engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. Subscribe to CES Tech Talk Listen to what the industry’s thought leaders have to say about the tech industry and advancements that are changing consumers’ lives. Past episodes are available on demand. Get It Now