Top 10 Automotive Software Development Companies to Watch in 2026

Modern cars have evolved into complex technological organisms where software controls virtually everything, from suspension tuning to entertainment content. This shift has forced traditional carmakers to rethink their business models and actively seek partnerships with automotive software development specialists. Here are ten companies helping them do exactly that.

1. DXC Technology

DXC Technology made a significant statement at CES 2026 when it introduced AMBER, Automotive Made BettER, a next-generation software platform designed to transform in-vehicle infotainment and digital cockpit experiences. Built to adapt seamlessly across any vehicle architecture, AMBER gives automakers flexibility to innovate faster while reducing development complexity. DXC claims the platform accelerates time-to-market by up to 50% and delivers 30% cost savings by eliminating redundant development work.

The company focuses on connected car platforms, product lifecycle management, cloud infrastructure for vehicle systems, and the digital transformation of manufacturing and dealer networks.

Key Focus Areas: Connected car platforms, digital cockpits, PLM systems, cloud infrastructure, manufacturing transformation

2. Luxoft (DXC Company)

Luxoft is the automotive software engineering engine behind DXC’s mobility ambitions, and the team that actually built AMBER. Originally founded in Russia, with its holding company later incorporated in Switzerland, Luxoft became the cornerstone of DXC’s automotive practice and brings decades of embedded systems expertise to production vehicle programs.

Luxoft’s capabilities span the full SDV stack: ADAS development, digital cockpit and HMI creation, software testing and validation, and Android Automotive and Apple CarPlay integration. The company positions itself as a “turnkey, future-ready” software solution provider for OEMs navigating the transition to software-defined architectures.

Key Focus Areas: Embedded systems, ADAS, digital cockpit and HMI, Android Automotive, SDV platform development

3. EPAM Systems

EPAM Systems has built a substantial automotive practice that, according to the company, serves three out of the top five global carmakers and two of the top four Tier-1 automotive suppliers. The company specializes in bridging embedded engineering with digital product development, a combination that positions it well for SDV projects requiring both hardware-level software and cloud-connected services.

A longstanding collaboration with Renesas, dating to 2017 and most recently demonstrated at CES 2026, saw EPAM co-develop an automotive smart cloud demonstration platform that interacts with Renesas’ connected cockpit vehicles and makes real-time decisions based on driver preferences. EPAM’s automotive services cover mobile app development for carmakers, car-sharing and ride-hailing platforms, vehicle subscription management, and big data analytics for production optimization.

Key Focus Areas: SDV solutions, embedded engineering, connected cockpit platforms, mobile apps, big data analytics

4. Thoughtworks

Thoughtworks brings a technology consulting model to the automotive sector, helping OEMs and mobility companies modernize legacy systems and build cloud-native digital platforms. Its strengths lie in microservices architecture, DevOps and CI/CD pipelines for embedded systems, data platform development, and Mobility-as-a-Service digital ecosystems.

Thoughtworks is particularly valuable for carmakers undertaking large-scale software architecture transformations, replacing monolithic, ECU-centric system designs with modular, continuously deployable software stacks that can evolve throughout a vehicle’s life.

Key Focus Areas: Microservices architecture, DevOps for embedded systems, data platforms, machine learning, MaaS ecosystems

5. Wipro

Wipro’s Engineering division showcased its SDV credentials at CES 2026, where its VP and CTO Thomas Mueller participated in a high-profile discussion on the evolution of software-defined vehicles, OTA update standards, and the future of in-vehicle AI. The conversation highlighted Wipro’s focus on open standards like eSync, fragmentation challenges facing OEMs, and the emerging role of small language models running locally on vehicle high-performance computers.

Wipro’s automotive portfolio includes predictive analytics, electric powertrain control systems, safety software, and vehicle-to-cloud communication solutions. The company has also developed AI-powered tools for smart dealerships, including virtual assistants, AR-based vehicle previews, and chatbot-driven test-drive scheduling.

Key Focus Areas: SDV architecture, OTA updates, predictive analytics, EV powertrain software, smart dealership platforms

6. Cognizant

Cognizant applies its broad technology consulting expertise to automotive through its Connected Products unit, which focuses on IoT integration, telematics, and vehicle data management. The company’s automotive services span infotainment system development, voice assistant integration, vehicle data platforms, and connected vehicle cybersecurity solutions.

Cognizant’s cross-industry strength in AI, SaaS platforms, and large-scale data analytics makes it particularly suited for fleet management and commercial vehicle programs where connectivity and data intelligence are primary value drivers.

Key Focus Areas: Connected vehicle IoT, telematics, infotainment, voice assistant integration, fleet data management

7. Infosys

Infosys brings enterprise-scale cloud and digital transformation capabilities to automotive clients including Daimler and Volkswagen Group. The company’s Infosys Cobalt platform provides cloud migration services for automotive systems, while its digital twin solutions are deployed on production lines to improve manufacturing efficiency and quality control.

Infosys’s automotive competencies also include simulation and virtual testing, EV charging platform development and battery manufacturing automation, blockchain for supply chain transparency, and AR/VR tools for technician training and vehicle maintenance.

Key Focus Areas: Cloud migration, digital twins, EV charging platforms, simulation, blockchain supply chain, AR/VR maintenance tools

8. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

TCS opened 2026 with the launch of its Automotive Digital Twindex report at CES 2026, a data-driven index tracking how AI, software-defined architectures, and digital twins are converging to reshape vehicles, factories, fleets, and supply chains. The report reflects TCS’s strategic ambition to become the world’s largest AI-led technology services company, embedding intelligence directly into core automotive business systems at operational scale.

TCS’s automotive practice covers simulators for Level 4–5 autonomous driving development, computer vision systems, OTA update platforms, and sensor and camera data management. The company maintains partnerships with major global OEMs and has built virtual proving ground environments where autonomous vehicle systems can be tested across millions of simulated kilometers.

Key Focus Areas: Digital twins, AI-led SDV development, autonomous driving simulation, computer vision, OTA platforms

9. Capgemini Engineering

Capgemini Engineering, formerly Altran, is one of the largest engineering services firms serving the automotive sector globally, with deep expertise in powertrain electrification, active safety systems, and 5G integration into vehicle architectures. The firm has worked on major production EV and hybrid programs across global OEM clients, with deep expertise in powertrain electrification and control system development.

In 2026, Capgemini Engineering is increasingly focused on the convergence of embedded software and cloud-native development pipelines, one of the automotive industry’s most pressing technical challenges as OEMs try to apply consumer-software development speeds to safety-certified vehicle systems.

Key Focus Areas: Electrification, active safety, 5G automotive integration, embedded-cloud convergence, engineering services at scale

10. GlobalLogic (Hitachi Group)

GlobalLogic, acquired by Hitachi in 2021, has established a strong reputation for automotive user experience and digital cockpit software, the layer of vehicle software that drivers actually interact with daily. The company specializes in UX/UI design for in-vehicle systems, driver recognition platforms, settings personalization, and smartphone-to-vehicle integration.

GlobalLogic’s Hitachi parentage connects it to broader industrial IoT and smart infrastructure ecosystems, which strengthens its positioning on connected mobility projects, including integrated navigation, digital cockpit platforms, and cloud-based SDV infrastructure. Its growing driver personalization work aligns directly with the automotive industry’s shift toward subscription-based feature monetization.

Key Focus Areas: UX/UI design, HMI systems, driver recognition, personalization platforms, gesture/voice control, connected mobility platforms

What’s Driving Demand

The automotive software market is projected to reach approximately $40–41 billion globally by the end of 2026, per Fortune Business Insights and Business Research Company. The Software-Defined Vehicle concept, where vehicle capabilities can be updated, added, or monetized through software throughout ownership, is now the dominant architectural direction across both established OEMs and EV-native brands.

McKinsey projects the global automotive software and electronics market will reach approximately $469 billion by 2030, up from $238 billion in 2020, a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7%. The companies above represent the broad coalition of engineering talent, platform expertise, and digital transformation experience that the automotive industry is relying on to get there.