VI-grade Wraps Up Global ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits and Unveils Date for EMEA Flagship Event in May 2024

Darmstadt, Germany, October 26th , 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the official recap of its highly successful 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits held on May 24-25 in Udine (Italy), September 20 in Novi, MI (USA), September 21 in Tokyo (Japan) and October 18 in Zhaoyuan (China). Over 750 representatives from major automotive and transportation OEMs, Tier1 suppliers, motorsport teams, research centers and partner companies attended the global event series in-person. VI-grade's EMEA flagship event as well as the inaugural spin-off Summit in China were livestreamed and attracted an additional 1,000 virtual attendees, resulting in an overall record attendance.

A total of 55 Keynote and Technical Presentations by leading OEMs and suppliers provided the worldwide VI-grade community with exclusive insights into how major global players in the automotive industry are using simulation, driving simulators and HiL technologies to accelerate vehicle development and achieve the Zero Prototypes vision. All presentations were recorded and are accessible free-of-charge on the VI-grade website and VI-grade’s YouTube Channel. The official after movies of all four events can be found at the following links: 

1. After movie – EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit
2. After movie – North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit
3. After movie – Japan ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit
4. After movie – PRC ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit

The European, North American and Chinese ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits were all held at SimCenter facilities, giving attendees the opportunity to experience VI-grade's driving simulators, software and HiL solutions live and in action. With over 20 application-specific demo sessions available, attendees gained first-hand exposure to the value and benefits of VI-grade's state-of-the-art simulation tools, underscoring the critical role simulation plays in refining the development process and thus accelerating innovation. 

“The content was well balanced from product introduction to examples of simulator application in different industries. I much appreciated the quality of the presentations.”, commented an attendee of the North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit.

“This was an excellent and very well-organized event, with even more concrete examples of how driving simulators are being utilized in the industry. It was also a great opportunity to talk with other companies at the networking reception and realize the importance of horizontal connections”, added an attendee of the Japanese ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit. 

The resounding success of this global event series across the world's major automotive hubs is a testament to the importance of the Zero Prototypes mission in the automotive industry, with VI-grade being at the forefront of this movement. Looking ahead to 2024, VI-grade is pleased to announce that the 2024 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit will be held on May 14-16 at VI-grade’s SimCenter and main technological development center in Udine, Italy. Dates for the spin-off events will be announced shortly but will traditionally be held in the fall of 2024.

“We are truly impressed by the great interest our worldwide community has shown in our series of ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits, as evidenced by the number of attendees and the consistently positive feedback," commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “We look forward to building on this year's success as our ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits become one of the automotive industry's premier events. We’re pleased that our ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits have become a forum where automotive manufacturers and suppliers can demonstrate tangible success in closing the gap between CAE simulation and physical testing on the road to zero prototype sign-off.”

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