Few venues in the automotive world carry the history and significance of Huntington Place. Many of us still think of it as Cobo Center, the longtime home of the North American International Auto Show and the place where countless industry-defining vehicle launches first took the stage. For those of us who have spent our careers in automotive technology, it's hard to imagine a more fitting location to discuss the next evolution of in-vehicle audio. Later this month, the global automotive acoustics community will gather there for the AES International Conference on Automotive Audio, and I'm genuinely excited to be part of it. QNX is an emerald sponsor of this year’s event, and we’ll be front and center in booth E5 from July 29th to 31st.
What makes AES special isn't just the technology; it's the people. Every year, engineers, audio designers, acoustics specialists, software architects, and product leaders travel from around the world to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and learn from one another. The conversations that happen in the hallways, at demonstrations, and over a cocktail after conference sessions often prove just as valuable as the formal presentations. Our QNX team is looking forward to welcoming visitors to our booth, showcasing our latest work, and hosting colleagues and customers at our networking cocktail event in Detroit.
This year's conference comes at a pivotal moment for the automotive industry. As vehicles become increasingly software-defined, audio systems are undergoing a transformation of their own. Audio processing is moving from dedicated hardware into centralized vehicle compute platforms, creating new opportunities to reduce cost, simplify architectures, accelerate development, and continuously improve the user experience through software. These industry shifts are exactly what inspired the development of QNX Sound, our software-defined audio platform.
At AES, attendees will be able to experience QNX Sound firsthand inside our Hyundai IONIQ 6 demonstration vehicle. First shown at CES 2026, the vehicle combines a Bose concept audio system, Dolby Atmos playback, and QNX Sound's centralized architecture to demonstrate how premium audio experiences can be delivered while consuming only a fraction of the vehicle's available compute resources. Beyond sound quality, visitors will see how intelligent audio policy management helps ensure that important alerts and safety-related sounds are always heard when they matter most.
We'll also be demonstrating LiveAMP, our cloud-first audio design environment that allows engineering teams to design, tune, and validate audio systems before vehicle hardware is even available. By enabling a shift-left workflow, LiveAMP helps automotive teams move faster, reduce development costs, and explore new possibilities long before a prototype vehicle reaches the road.
Finally, one of the conference highlights will be a presentation by José María Marín covering the Volvo EX60, the world's first vehicle built on a fully centralized software-defined audio architecture using QNX Sound. It's a compelling example of how leading automakers are rethinking audio as a software platform capable of evolving throughout the life of the vehicle.
For me, AES Detroit is about more than demonstrations and presentations. It's about bringing together a global community of people who are passionate about the future of automotive audio. Whether you're an OEM engineer, an audio supplier, an acoustics specialist, or simply curious about where vehicle sound experiences are headed, I hope you'll stop by to see us at booth E5, join the conversation, and spend some time with the QNX team of subject matter experts.
I'll see you in Detroit, July 29th to 31st. Let's talk about the future of automotive audio. And, more importantly, let's hear it!