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2025 Altair Enlighten Awards: Driving Sustainability in Automotive

On September 16, 2025, Altair, a global frontrunner in computational intelligence, proudly unveiled the winners of the prestigious 2025 Altair Enlighten Award. In collaboration with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), this accolade recognizes remarkable strides in sustainability and lightweighting that contribute to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing material reuse and recycling within the automotive sector.

Celebrating Innovation in Sustainability

Sam Mahalingam, Altair's Chief Technology Officer, emphasized the importance of continuing innovation in the rapidly evolving automotive landscape. He noted, "Throughout its 13-year history, the Enlighten Award remains the premier honor showcasing the automotive industry's most groundbreaking achievements in sustainable technology." This year's winners were celebrated for their leadership in developing practical solutions that pave the way toward a sustainable future.

Likewise, Elizabeth Krear, the president and CEO of CAR, remarked, "The Altair Enlighten Award represents the type of leadership our industry needs—bold, practical solutions that move us closer to a sustainable future." The award serves to highlight transformative research and advance technologies crucial for the mobility landscape of tomorrow.

Awards and Recognitions

Future of Lightweighting

Winner: Vortex CAE
Vortex CAE captured the top honor with its innovative solution, Enlighten™, which utilizes a unique holistic topometry-based optimizer for designing lightweight crash structures. Their graduate approach resulted in a significant weight reduction of 77% for the vehicle body while maintaining compliance with key safety performance standards, potentially saving $500 million in raw materials and reducing carbon emissions by 1.35 million tons during manufacturing.

Runner-up: Magna
Magna's pioneering use of Hemp Nylon (PA6) in automotive exteriors showcases sustainable advancement by replacing conventional talc with this renewable resource. This innovation supports the decarbonization efforts while providing equivalent performance to traditional materials.

Enabling Technology

Winner: CompositeEdge GmbH and ATA Mute B.V.
Winners CompositeEdge GmbH and ATA Mute B.V. made waves with their Adaptive Ultra-Thin Noise Solution, an incredibly thin acoustic element that offers unmatched sound absorption properties. The eco-friendly material retains performance even in humid environments and has a wide array of potential applications, including automotive and construction sectors.

Runner-up: Lucid
Lucid’s durability CAE workflow reflects an evolution in integrated assessments, achieving efficiency by linking various validation methods to enhance product development across an extensive range of components.

Sustainable Solutions and Processes

Winner: Marelli
Marelli's innovative process that recovers adhesive wastewater highlights the importance of effective resource management within manufacturing. By utilizing a three-part chemical agent, they've successfully implemented a procedure allowing for 85% recovery of adhesive wastes, leading to substantial reductions in water consumption.

Runner-up: CITIC Dicastal Co., Ltd.
CITIC's integrated forming technology cuts down production parts significantly, representing a leap in strengthening sustainability metrics while achieving cost efficiency.

The Role of AI in Automotive Innovation

In the realm of responsible AI implementation in automotive design, Lucid made strides by applying Altair® PhysicsAI™ for predicting crash modes. This innovative application of artificial intelligence minimizes reliance on prototypes, thus contributing to sustainability by reducing waste and material usage in the developmental stages.

Looking Ahead

As the automotive industry grapples with the demand for efficient, innovative products, Altair's emphasis on AI-driven engineering and high-performance computing will continue to empower transformations aimed at reducing environmental impacts. The 2025 Altair Enlighten Award winners will be acknowledged at a ceremony during the CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Detroit, Michigan. For further details about the Enlighten Award and its recipients, visit Altair's website.