Cadence Design Systems, Inc. has finalised its acquisition of Hexagon AB’s Design and Engineering (D&E) business. The EUR 2.7 billion transaction was funded through 70 percent cash and 30 percent Cadence common stock.

The acquisition incorporates Hexagon D&E’s MSC Software solutions, including MSC Nastran and Adams, into the Cadence System Design and Analysis (SDA) portfolio. The integration combines structural analysis, acoustics and multibody dynamics with Cadence’s existing technologies in electronics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and BETA CAE structural processing.

Cadence aims to utilise the combined portfolio to address the Physical AI market. By coupling physics-based simulation with AI design tools, the company intends to provide platforms for creating virtual representations of systems. These tools are designed to predict system behaviour in conditions involving motion, vibration, and fluid-structure interactions.

Key components of the integrated platform include:

• Structural Analysis: MSC Nastran for finite element analysis.
• Multibody Dynamics: Adams for mechanical system simulation.
• Electronics and CFD: Existing Cadence portfolios for electromagnetic and fluid flow analysis.
• Pre/Post Processing: BETA CAE technologies for data preparation and validation.

The combined data generated from these simulations will be used to train and validate AI models for applications in robotics, autonomous systems and transportation.

Cadence expects the acquired business to contribute an incremental USD 160 million to its 2026 revenue. On a non-GAAP basis, the transaction is anticipated to be approximately 28 cents dilutive to 2026 earnings per share, with the company projecting the acquisition to become accretive in 2027.

Anirudh Devgan, President and CEO, Cadence, said, “This acquisition marks a major milestone in advancing our vision for intelligent system design. By combining our industry-leading computational software and AI-driven design expertise with MSC Software’s world-class structural and physics-based analysis technologies, we’re empowering customers to push the boundaries of what’s possible – from autonomous systems and advanced robotics to the future of transportation.”

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Chinese technology company Hesai Technology has joined the Nvidia Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab, an accredited body for the inspection of AI-driven physical systems. As a member, Hesai will validate its lidar platforms within a framework covering functional safety, cybersecurity and AI compliance.

Nvidia Halos is a safety system for physical AI that unifies safety elements across vehicle and robotics architectures. The system combines hardware, software and models to safeguard autonomous vehicle (AV) and robotics stacks.

Hesai utilises a ‘Safety Triad’ engineering approach, which integrates:

• Functional Safety: Adherence to ISO 26262 standards.
• Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF): Managing risks from functional inadequacies.
• Cybersecurity: Protecting system integrity across real-world environments.

The company claims that Hesai was the first LiDAR manufacturer to obtain ISO 26262 ASIL B certification and currently participates in global safety standard development alongside firms including Bosch, Nissan and ZF.

The collaboration between Hesai and Nvidia began in 2019 with the integration of LiDAR into Nvidia autonomous computing platforms. Hesai has delivered over 2 million LiDAR units globally to date.

The company was recently selected as a lidar partner for Nvidia DRIVE AGX Hyperion 10, a reference architecture designed to make vehicles Level 4-ready. This platform enables the development of AI-defined fleets for automakers and developers.

David Li, Co-Founder and CEO, Hesai Technology, said, “Autonomous systems will only achieve broad adoption if they meet the highest standards of safety and reliability. As autonomous vehicles and intelligent machines move toward large-scale deployment, safety becomes the defining requirement for the entire system.”

“Our work with Nvidia began several years ago with the integration of Hesai LiDAR on Nvidia autonomous computing platforms. Lidar is often the primary sensor responsible for detecting hazards in the most critical situations on the road. Joining the Nvidia Halos ecosystem allows us to further strengthen the safety architecture required to bring trusted autonomous technology into everyday use,” he said.

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Zenobe, a fleet electrification and battery storage specialist, has acquired California-based Revolv to expand its electric truck operations in the United States. The transaction marks Zenobe's entry into the North American commercial fleet and truck segment.

The acquisition adds to Zenobe's established portfolio in student transportation and public transit across the U.S. and Canada.

Key additions to Zenobe’s network include:

• Operational Sites: 13 customer sites located in California.
• Fleet Size: More than 100 electric trucks integrated into the service network.
• Project Pipeline: Additional commercial projects currently under development.

Zenobe intends to integrate the Revolv team to maintain continuity for existing customers and leverage regional expertise. The combined platform provides end-to-end solutions, including vehicle provision, charging infrastructure, financing and battery lifecycle management.

The expansion follows a period of growth in the U.S. Zero Emission Truck (ZET) market, where over 59,000 vehicles have been deployed nationwide. Zenobe’s strategy focuses on a battery-as-a-service (BaaS) model, which involves performance guarantees and the management of second-life battery applications to reduce risks for fleet operators.

The acquisition is supported by Zenobe’s major investors, KKR and Infracapital, as part of a broader effort to scale electrification in hard-to-decarbonise sectors.

Andreas Lips, President of EV North America, Zenobe, said, “Revolv's end-to-end fleet electrification model is highly complementary to Zenobe's global experience and our growth plans in North America. As commercial fleet electrification enters its next phase, operators are increasingly seeking partners who can deliver vehicles, infrastructure, financing and long-term battery performance under one roof. This acquisition strengthens our ability to provide flexible, end-to-end solutions at scale across North America.”

Steven Meersman, Founder Director, Zenobe, said, “This is a strong opportunity to accelerate electrification at scale, by pairing Revolv's fleet electrification platform with our deep experience and unique financing models. We're grateful to Revolv CEO Scott Davidson and the team at GDEV Management for backing Revolv early on. Now we are taking it to the next stage.”

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51WORLD has been named as Nvidia’s global Level 4 simulation partner. The companies announced an integration between Nvidia Omniverse NuRec and 51WORLD’s SimOne platform during the Nvidia GTC Conference on 16 March 2026.

The collaboration utilises neural rendering technology to convert static, real-world collected scenario data into interactive simulation environments. This process is intended to address limitations in autonomous driving development workflows by making recorded data reactive.

The platform is designed to support the training of reasoning-based autonomous systems, including – world models, vision-language-action (VLA) models and physical AI development tools.

By transforming real-world data into interactive simulations, the integration increases the volume and variety of edge cases available for developers working on Level 4 autonomous systems.

At present, 51WORLD holds a 53.5 percent share of the L3+ simulation market in China. The partnership with Nvidia is intended to extend the company's reach into international autonomous driving programmes and provide development tooling for global automotive partners.

The announcement coincided with several related partnerships involving Nvidia’s DRIVE Hyperion, Omniverse and Alpamayo technologies, focused on the advancement of autonomous vehicle platforms.

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Volvo Cars has earned the highest possible rating for software-defined vehicle (SDV) capabilities from S&P Global Mobility, standing alone among legacy automakers as the only one to achieve a Level 5 designation. This top-tier ranking underscores the company’s capacity to enhance nearly all aspects of a vehicle throughout its lifespan, delivering greater long-term value to customers. Through over-the-air (OTA) updates, Volvo can introduce new safety functions, accelerate charging speeds, extend driving range and refine the overall user experience.

The transition to software-defined vehicles represents a transformative leap for Volvo, empowering its cars on the road to continuously evolve and setting a new benchmark for safety. As part of its most significant technological overhaul in nearly a century, the company now leverages real-world data to generate insights that inform the development of future safety and driver assistance systems.

Central to this capability is HuginCore, Volvo’s internally developed core system. Featuring a sophisticated electrical architecture, a central computing platform, zone controllers and integrated software, HuginCore is the foundation of the company’s three software-centric models: the EX90, ES90 and EX60. This architecture enables scalable enhancements, faster innovation cycles and superior experiences across the entire vehicle lineup.

S&P Global Mobility, a premier provider of automotive intelligence, offers the comprehensive data and expert analysis that informed this evaluation, assisting the industry in making more informed, lower-risk decisions.

Håkan Samuelsson, CEO, Volvo Cars, said, “Years of focused engineering efforts and investments have given Volvo software capabilities that only a select few in the industry have achieved. This has enabled us to deliver a step change in customer experiences and development speed.”

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