Volkswagen Group and TU Braunschweig Launch AI Professorship for Mobility Research
Volkswagen Group and Technische Universität Braunschweig are opening a new professorship focused on artificial intelligence in mobility research, spanning autonomous driving, virtual development, and real-world data ana…
5 years
1,000+
50+
What Happened
The new professorship, hosted at TU Braunschweig’s Institute of Engineering Design, will collaborate closely with the Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF), one of Europe’s largest mobility research hubs with over 1,000 researchers. The position is expected to be filled by October 2026 and will transition into a tenured role after five years, aiming to spur AI-driven advances in virtual product development, autonomous driving, and analysis of real-world vehicle data.
“Artificial intelligence is a key technology for the future of the Volkswagen Group. By leveraging AI technologies, we are accelerating our processes and bringing new products and technologies to market significantly faster.”
“AI is the driving force for the next generation of mobility. To advance top level research with high societal relevance, close collaboration between science and industry is essential.”
- Digital twins – fully digital, AI-based models for testing and optimization.
- AI agents – semi-autonomous programs that handle granular tasks like software testing.
- Foundation models – complex AI systems integrating cross-domain data to streamline development workflows.
Why this matters
This partnership accelerates the integration of AI into automotive development, helping bring smarter, safer vehicles to market faster and strengthening Germany's position in mobility innovation.
Terms in This Story
- Digital twin
- A virtual model that mirrors a physical object or system, used for simulation and analysis.
- AI agent
- A software program that autonomously performs tasks or makes decisions based on its environment.
- Foundation model
- A large AI model trained on broad data that can be adapted for various tasks.
- Mechatronic systems
- Systems that integrate mechanical, electrical, and software engineering, common in modern vehicles.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.