#United States #Automotive Innovations #Troy, Michigan #Altair Engineering #Sustainable Design

2025 Altair Enlighten Award: A Call for Submissions

Altair, a prominent name in computational intelligence, has officially opened the submission process for the prestigious 2025 Altair Enlighten Award. This annual accolade, held in partnership with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), seeks to recognize remarkable advancements in sustainable and lightweight automotive designs. The award is aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the automotive industry by celebrating innovations that help decrease carbon footprints, conserve water and energy, and promote material recycling and reuse.

James R. Scapa, founder and CEO of Altair, noted, “Without advanced technology – like Altair’s – we would not see the innovation that characterizes the modern automotive industry. The Enlighten Award honors the innovations, technologies, and organizations that are creating a better, more sustainable industry.” This sentiment underscores the significance of technological advancements in achieving greater sustainability goals in automotive manufacturing.

Categories of the Enlighten Award

The Altair Enlighten Award encompasses several categories that highlight different facets of innovation in the field:

• - Sustainable Product: This category acknowledges production vehicles or major system modules that excel in emissions reduction, lightweighting, material circularity, and safety advancements.
• - Sustainable Process: Recognizes processes that facilitate emissions reductions, material reuse, recycling, and the conservation of water during manufacturing or engineering phases.
• - Module Lightweighting: Focuses on the significant reduction of mass in vehicle modules, subsystems, or components.
• - Enabling Technology: Celebrates technological advancements that aid in vehicle lightweighting, which may include innovative materials, production methods, design techniques, or joining technologies.
• - Future of Lightweighting: This award goes to a process, material, or technology in development that holds substantial potential for future vehicle lightweighting.
• - Responsible AI: Highlights the ethical deployment of AI throughout the automotive value chain—from design and engineering to production and operational phases.
• - Sustainable Computing: This recognizes the adoption of practices and technologies prioritizing energy efficiency, renewable energy use, and diminishing environmental impact in the computing realm.

Andrew Brown Jr., chairman of CAR’s Board of Directors, expressed his honor in presenting the award during CAR's Management Briefing Seminars (MBS). “The Enlighten Award is truly one of a kind – regardless of how large or small your company is, how established you are, or what you specialize in, all that matters is how you are advancing automotive sustainability.” He enthusiastically invites industry players to participate in the upcoming 60th anniversary of MBS, slated to take place in Detroit, Michigan.

Past recipients of this award have included leading automotive manufacturers such as GM, Ford, Toyota, and many more, demonstrating the award's broad appeal across the industry. The submission deadline for the Enlighten Award is June 16, 2025, with the winners set to be announced on September 16, 2025, during an award ceremony at the iconic Michigan Central Station in Detroit.

This year, the Enlighten Award has attracted considerable attention from various stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, and the broader public. Media partners include renowned organizations like SAE, Automotive Engineering, and AutoBild Japan among others, ensuring widespread visibility for the accomplishments of participating companies.

To find out more about the Enlighten Award and to submit an entry, visit Altair's official website at altair.com/enlighten-award. As the automotive industry continues to evolve, initiatives like the Altair Enlighten Award serve as critical platforms for fostering innovation and sustainability.

About Altair

Altair focuses on providing cutting-edge tools in simulation, high-performance computing, data analytics, and AI, facilitating smarter decision-making across industries. As a leader in computational intelligence, the company is committed to supporting organizations in promoting sustainable practices while maintaining competitive edges in a rapidly changing global landscape. For more information, visit www.altair.com.