General Motors used its Onward event to cast itself as an AI-driven software player, announcing a slate of initiatives spanning EV batteries, centralized computing, and autonomous driving. The company says it will use what it calls 'digital thread virtualization' to shrink vehicle development from four to five years to about two, and pointed to its battery work as proof: GM tested more than 300,000 virtual designs before building a physical prototype, then moved a lithium-manganese-rich chemistry from concept to formal approval in one month.
The hardware centerpiece is a liquid-cooled central compute unit that GM says delivers 40 times the processing power of current systems while cutting 30 percent of physical wiring. It will debut in the 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQ, which is also set to be the first GM vehicle with hands-free, eyes-off highway driving. The company plans to extend that capability across its lineup, including the gas-powered trucks and SUVs that remain its biggest sellers.
The Verge notes GM has made similar software-centric promises before and that its software rollouts have had stumbles, but the new push is aimed at countering tech-heavy Chinese automakers. GM also described PlantBrAIn, a digital-twin factory project, and new drive units with 40 percent fewer internal parts as part of the broader restructuring. The claims are GM's own and were not independently verified by the outlet.