Welcome to the latest edition of CEO Talks, TTTECH’s quarterly format where we explore the technologies and trends shaping our company and the industries we serve. Over the past year, we’ve discussed topics ranging from connectivity and sustainability to edge computing and smart farming - each reflecting TTTECH’s commitment to safe, intelligent systems across sectors.
This quarter, we turn our attention to a megatrend that is redefining industrial machinery: the shift from automation to autonomy. As industries face new challenges - energy transition, labor shortages, and the need for sustainable growth - autonomous systems are becoming a strategic imperative.
Joining us for this conversation are TTTECH CEO and co-founder Georg Kopetz and Martin Pottendorfer, Director Autonomous Operations at TTControl. Together, they share insights on how TTTECH is powering this transformation, from high-performance computing and AI integration to cybersecurity and cross-industry collaboration.
Automation to autonomy: Why now?
TTTECH has long been delivering in safety-critical systems and real-time computing. Why is the shift from automation to autonomy such a strategic focus for TTTECH and TTControl right now? What does this mean for your customers and the industries you serve?
Georg Kopetz: At TTTECH, our mission is to enable safe and secure autonomous systems across industries. The shift from automation to autonomy is not just a technological evolution - it’s a strategic imperative for TTTECH Group. TTControl, our joint venture with HYDAC, is fully established in the off-highway machinery market, with more than one million systems already in the field, operating every day. Many of these are connected to the cloud. We are seeing a real shift—from autonomous systems we have discussed for years at TTTECH, to actual deployment in agriculture and construction. Martin is right at the center of this, driving architecture definition and development. He is building a new platform that we are talking about today for the first time.
Martin Pottendorfer: Autonomy is becoming essential as industries face energy transition, labor shortages, and sustainability demands. In agriculture, construction, and municipal services, autonomous systems help address these challenges by optimizing processes, reducing resource consumption, and enabling safer operations. The vision is clear: machines that can operate intelligently, with minimal human intervention, are the future.
High-Performance Computing: The heart of autonomous systems
Let’s talk about the technological foundation. High Performance Computing (HPC) is often described as the “brain” of modern machines. How does HPC enable the transition from automation to autonomy, and what challenges does it solve in real-world environments?
Martin Pottendorfer: High Performance Computing offers a lot of potential in off-highway machinery, but also in many other industries. It allows us to master computation on the machine, where high demands for data processing are required. You have a large amount of data coming from sensors, and you can use algorithms to make safety-critical decisions. This allows a high degree of automation and takes us further towards autonomous vehicles.
Georg Kopetz: When we talk about autonomous systems, we mean taking the operator out of the control loop. HPC at the edge is becoming ready for prime time. In automotive, we already have driving assistance systems and certifications for certain use cases, and we are applying these technologies to off-highway machinery. HPC is the heart of the machine—the brain that connects sensors, enables AI, accelerates hardware, and ensures safety and security. These are the key ingredients of TTTECH’s recipe. TTTECH’s HPC expertise also powers solutions in advanced air mobility and industrial automation.
More information: CEO TALKS: The transformative potential of edge computing
FusionAI and MotionAI: Building the next generation
TTControl has launched FusionAI and is developing MotionAI as the next step. Could you explain what these platforms offer, and how they address the evolving needs of your customers?
Georg Kopetz: FusionAI is our first mass production product in this area. It’s a multi-screen, multi-interface computing platform that integrates human-machine interface (HMI), AI, internet gateway, and even infotainment in one box. It’s already in use in applications like snow groomers, where it can detect skiers around the machine using AI acceleration and multiple camera interfaces. MotionAI is the next big thing for TTControl and TTTECH overall. It’s the ultimate edge computer we are building, with automotive-grade safety certification and much higher performance in the same form factor. It centralizes functionality, reduces component failure risks, and supports more data fusion capabilities.
Martin Pottendorfer: FusionAI is cost-optimized and configurable for different customer needs. It combines data from cameras and other sensors to detect obstacles and optimize machine operation. Both platforms feature AI accelerators and camera support for machine vision, addressing safety and regulatory challenges with mature, well-understood standards. Importantly, both FusionAI and MotionAI are designed to evolve over time through software updates. This is what we call “software-defined machinery.” Customers can add new functionalities and adapt to changing requirements, making these platforms ready for the future.
Learn more - product page (FusionAI)
Customer expectations: Modularity, connectivity, and AI-readiness
The market is changing rapidly, and customer expectations are evolving. What are your customers asking for today, and how are TTTECH and TTControl responding to these new demands?
Georg Kopetz: Customers tell us modularity is very important because they don’t yet know exactly what they need in the future. Both FusionAI and MotionAI are designed to grow with the customer’s needs. Connectivity and software updates are key, and AI enablement is becoming a must-have.
Martin Pottendorfer: Customers are at the starting point to understand what these technologies can do. It’s important to validate new functionalities step by step. Cost is another factor—machines equipped with HPC elements need to be cost-effective. Modularity allows customers to add and validate functions as needed, and connectivity ensures they can deploy updates efficiently. TTControl’s Application Development Center (ADC) plays a key role here: it supports OEMs throughout the machine lifecycle, from early validation of new features to deployment of new functionality or optimization for the specific use-cases. The ADC enables customers to experiment with and adapt new technologies in a controlled environment, ensuring that innovations like FusionAI and MotionAI deliver real value in the field.
Cybersecurity and functional safety: Embedding trust
As machines become more connected and autonomous, cybersecurity and functional safety are increasingly intertwined. How is TTTECH embedding trust into every layer of its products and platforms?
Georg Kopetz: Safety and security are key ingredients of the TTTECH recipe. Cybersecurity is essential to prevent compromised systems from operating. Our products include technologies like TEE (Trusted execution environment), HSMs (Hardware security module), and TPMs (Trusted platform module), enabling customers to establish trusted software chains and ensure system integrity.
Martin Pottendorfer: Safety is not an option, but a necessity. We want to supply our customers with safe systems, and we are already adhering to the respective safety and security standards. Our architecture is designed in a way that independent components can make safety-critical decisions in real-time and at any time can bring the system into a safe state. Our platforms are secure by design through a careful selection of underlying technology building blocks, secure product architectures and application of the necessary processes along our product development and beyond into the maintenance life cycle.
For a deeper dive, click here to see CEO Talks: Embedding trust into every layer
Cross-industry collaboration: The Autonomous Operations Cluster
Before we discuss the value of cross-industry collaboration, could you first explain what the Autonomous Operations Cluster is, and how it helps accelerate innovation in autonomy?
Georg Kopetz: Absolutely. The Autonomous Operations Cluster, or AOC, is a collaboration between TTControl and several leading companies from different industry domains—such as Prinoth, PALFINGER, Ammann, and Rosenbauer. The idea is to bring together partners who share similar challenges and ambitions in autonomous operations. By joining forces, we can address complex problems more efficiently, accelerate development, and reduce costs. It’s about leveraging shared expertise and creating synergies across industries, especially as autonomy becomes increasingly relevant beyond the automotive realm.
Martin, how does this collaboration work in practice, and what are its main benefits?
Martin Pottendorfer: The AOC is an ecosystem where five companies come together to share their vision and tackle new technological and scientific challenges, particularly those that go beyond traditional machine problems. For example, mastering computer science and data science issues, like perception algorithms and sensor fusion, is something we can do collectively. The cluster allows us to define problem areas, develop solutions such as algorithms or system concepts, and then deploy them across different machines and industries. This way, we solve domain-agnostic parts together, while each company can adapt the solutions to their specific needs. The Application Development Center (ADC) in Brixen is closely linked to the AOC’s activities. It acts as a competence hub, supporting both internal teams and external partners in deploying, testing, and refining autonomous solutions. By providing early access to new platforms and facilitating feedback loops, the ADC accelerates the adoption of next-generation technologies across the cluster.
Georg Kopetz: Looking ahead, ecosystem collaboration will play an even greater role. That’s why we are evolving our engagement with The Autonomous – a key industry platform that culminates in an annual conference each September. In 2026, we will position it even more strongly around highway and agricultural autonomy, in close partnership with NXP. The goal is to foster deeper cross-industry synergies, especially between the automotive sector and other domains such as agriculture and construction.
Outlook: What’s next for autonomous operations?
Autonomous operations are gaining traction across various industries. Which specific use cases or sectors – such as agriculture, construction, or municipal services – do you see as most promising today? And how is TTTECH positioning itself to meet future demand and evolving market expectations?
Martin Pottendorfer: We see strong potential for autonomous operations across several sectors – including agriculture, construction, municipal services, and mining. If I had to prioritize, agriculture stands out at the moment. We have collaborations with lead customers directly targeting use cases to move large machines autonomously. Mining is already one step ahead, as sites are closed and there is no public traffic. With totally autonomous solutions, you can reduce the safety precautions in these mines, which saves costs. Remote operations are becoming more common, especially in harsh environments.
Georg Kopetz: TTTECH is preparing for future demand by investing in scalable, secure platforms and supporting customers through every step of the autonomy journey. We are excited to announce TTControl’s participation at AGRITECHNICA, the world’s leading trade fair for agricultural machinery, where they will showcase FusionAI and other innovations at booth H23 in hall 17.
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Turning vision into reality
Georg Kopetz: As we come to the end of this CEO Talk, it’s clear that the journey from automation to autonomy is not just a vision for the future - it’s already underway. The examples we discussed today, from agricultural machinery to construction and municipal vehicles, show how TTTECH and TTControl are enabling safe, intelligent, and connected systems in real-world applications.
What excites me most is that these advances are not only addressing today’s challenges—like labor shortages and sustainability—but are also opening entirely new possibilities for our customers. With high-performance computing, AI at the edge, and secure, modular platforms, we are giving our partners the tools to innovate, adapt, and grow.
But this is just the beginning. With MotionAI, we are taking the next big step: bringing even more performance, safety, and flexibility to the edge. We are looking forward to officially launching MotionAI and sharing more about how it will set new standards for autonomous operations - both at AGRITECHNICA and beyond.
Of course, this journey is ongoing. There will be new questions, new regulatory requirements, and new technological leaps. But together with our customers and partners, we are well positioned to lead this transformation - turning challenges into opportunities and shaping the future of autonomous operations.
Thank you, Georg and Martin, for this insightful and forward-looking conversation.
Your perspectives highlight how TTTECH and TTControl are not only responding to today’s industrial challenges - but actively shaping the future of autonomous operations.
We look forward to the official launch of MotionAI and to continuing this journey - together with our partners and customers - toward a future defined by intelligent autonomy.
