"Exactly 140 years ago, Carl Benz registered the patent for his "vehicle with gas engine operation" - the birth certificate of the combustion car. Although much has changed since 1886, one thing remains: What comes out of the exhaust of cars is a source of debate."

Sandra Göttisheim | KIT

On January 29, 2026, the KIT Innovators Homecoming brought together more than 500 alumni, founders and partners from the innovation environment of KIT in the Eventhall Karlsruhe under the motto "Merging Generations". ITIV and the Innovation Campus Mobility of the Future (ICM) presented current research impulses and technological insights.

What many people don't know: A recent study thoroughly dispels old prejudices - and Prof. Eric Sax from ITIV explains why the electric motor is even superior to the combustion engine in terms of maintenance and durability. So why is mistrust of the technology still so persistent? The linked SWR report provides exciting facts - and Prof. Sax gets to the heart of the matter.

The Chip Connect BW project has been successfully launched at ITIV. Partners from research, industry, and academia met at the kickoff workshop to promote the establishment of a strong chip design network in Baden-Württemberg. With a focus on networking, technology transfer, and close cooperation, the project lays the foundation for future innovation in the region.

Every year, the Innovators Homecoming brings together founders, alumni and partners of KIT for a day full of keynotes, technology insights and networking. ITIV is represented with a lecture by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eric Sax and the OTRACE demonstrator- an exciting insight into the art of engineering and digital transparency.

Prof. Eric Sax puts current developments in context and explains why decisive steps are needed right now. The KVV's ' Test Field Autonomous Driving Baden-Württemberg' with the participation of KIT and FZI plays an important role here - as does the MINGA research project, which is testing automated bus platoons in public transport. Read more in the full article in the BNN.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eric Sax, Head of the ITIV Institute at KIT, took part in the practical "Brain Surgeon for 1 Day" program at Karlsruhe Municipal Hospital (SKK) together with a medical technology student - a unique opportunity to promote interdisciplinary exchange between medicine and engineering sciences.

As part of the Hardware/Software Co-Design course, Dr. Ing. Karim Guirguis (SiMa.AI) inspired the students with his guest lecture at ITIV. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h. c. Jürgen Becker, Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Inform. Tanja Harbaum and Prof. Dr. Torben Ferber and ensured a strong response in the NTI lecture hall.

The research group of Prof. Eric Sax is looking for committed doctoral students to join our team and actively shape the generational change. We offer you an excellent research environment at KIT, practical projects with industrial partners and the opportunity to help shape the innovations of tomorrow.

Carl Esselborn successfully defended his dissertation on 01.12.2025. The thesis presents a new framework that combines virtual test drives with model-in-the-loop simulations in order to validate automated driving functions in a realistic and user-representative manner. With the help of representative routes, regional influences can be better mapped and operation design domains can be quantified more precisely. Congratulations on this success!

RIGOLETTO strengthens a European RISC-V ecosystem and develops high-performance, secure real-time processors for the next generation of software-defined vehicles. With open standards, specialized AI accelerators and an end-to-end design-to-deployment toolchain, the project lays the foundation for flexible, future-proof in-car computing platforms. ITIV is making a significant contribution to the development of efficient accelerators and algorithms for demanding AI workloads.

Alexandru Vasilache successfully defended his dissertation on 20.11.25. In it, he developed software methods for optimizing spiking neural networks that are modelled on the brain and are particularly energy-efficient. By specifically reducing unnecessary neural activity and connections, his research enables the use of powerful AI directly on mobile devices. Congratulations and all the best!

On November 4, 2025, Matthias Diehl successfully defended his dissertation on the topic of a novel, continuous and non-invasive blood pressure measurement in the ear canal. Using a miniaturized sensor system in individual earmolds and robust algorithms for blood pressure prediction, his work makes a promising contribution to the early detection of cardiovascular diseases. Congratulations on this success!

Infineon

At the final review on November 6, 2025, the project partners presented the results of three years of research in the MANNHEIM-CeCaS project to the project sponsor at Infineon in Neubiberg and carried out the final evaluation.

On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the ITIV opened its doors for the nationwide Study Information Day. Young visitors were able to experience first-hand how information technology is shaping our future - from intelligent driver assistance systems to innovative solutions for education and medicine.