On year into the project, the Smart Vehicle Dynamic Controller (SVDC) consortium gathered in Bretzfeld-Bitzfeld on 16 September for its second General Assembly, hosted by Mobil Elektronik.
SVDC aims to develop a transformative advancement in military vehicle technology. By integrating an edge computing device certified for military use, SVDC autonomously manages vehicle subsystems through AI-driven algorithms. This system interacts with existing vehicle electronics, enhancing operational performance and crew synergy.
According to Valdur Saar, the dedicated Project Officer of the European Commission overseeing the project, “The SVDC project demonstrates the value of European cooperation in developing innovative technologies for future defence capabilities. By bringing together expertise from across Europe, the project contributes not only to technological innovation, but also to a stronger and more resilient European defence industrial and technological base. This is precisely the kind of cooperation that the European Defence Fund aims to support, and the European Commission looks forward to seeing the results of this ambitious project.”
The gathering of information for potential end-users and the identification of appropriate use cases is now complete. The definition of requirements for the development of key elements of the project, such as the AI algorithms, software and communication architecture, or the tool chain, is also finished. The project is expected to continue the process of detailed designing of AI algorithms that will be used, along with a closed-loop hardware controller.
Piedrafita, the project coordinator together with consortium partners Additess, BPTI, C&V Defence, Mobil Elektronik, and VRCEU, therefore reunited to provide updates on their respective workstreams and review the project’s overall progress. The consortium also discussed and agreed on the roadmap for the next steps.
In parallel, VRCEU hosted a Concept of Operations workshop, presenting main requirements across communication, hardware, AI, and software. End-users were represented by the Ministry of Defence of Spain providing valuable operational input to the project.
These exchanges are an important part of the controller’s development, helping to ensure that technical decisions remain consistent with the project’s operational needs and ethical framework.
Supported by the European Commission through the European Defence Fund (EDF), the SVDC consortium brings together six Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) from five EU Member States, alongside two subcontractors (one SME and one mid-cap company). The partnership has been carefully structured to ensure strong synergies and complementarity across all participants, drawing on Europe’s deep expertise in AI, defence engineering, and edge computing.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.