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Convergence 2000 Session Is A Blueprint For The Future

31 August 2000

Convergence 2000 Session on Vehicles' Electronic Architecture Is A Blueprint For The Future

    TROY, Mich., Aug. 31 As demands increase for electrical
power to support new electronic vehicle features such as mobile multimedia
technologies, automakers are faced with building vehicles that can efficiently
channel this power.  The study and improvement of vehicles'
electrical/electronic system (E/E) architecture is the topic of an upcoming
technical session at Convergence 2000, the world's premier automotive
electronics conference, being held on Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 9:30 a.m. to
noon at Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich.
    Experts agree that automotive electronics will play an important role in
the new millennium.  In fact, recent predictions are that the value of
electronic systems could grow from an average of 22 percent of vehicle content
today, to as much as 40 percent by 2010.
    On the forefront of this trend, the Convergence 2000 session on E/E
architecture will bring some of the industry's leading experts together to
generate real-world solutions for increasing systems integrations, which will
ultimately increase electrical functions while minimizing costs for customers.
The session will examine the relevance of new open architectural concepts
enabling the introduction of state-of-the-art information and control
technologies compatible with dependable computer-controlled by wire
subsystems.
    "If powertrains and other major automotive systems are further simplified,
the industry and consumers will reap cost and reliability benefits," said J.T.
Battenberg III, chairman, CEO and president of Delphi Automotive Systems, and
chairman of Convergence 2000.  "Tangible advances are exactly the kind of
practical results that Convergence 2000 will help automakers deliver."
    The E/E architecture session will also attempt to answer the following
questions: What is electrical architecture? How does it drive the industry?
What are the necessary standards? What is the life cycle mismatch between the
vehicle and the electrical components? What is the open vs. closed
architecture approach to system design?
    The session will feature presentations by experts from Delphi Automotive
Systems, Ford Motor Company, PSA Peugeot-Citroen, Volkswagen AG, Visteon
Automotive Systems & AutoNeural, LLC, Renault and Siemens AG.
    Convergence 2000 provides the backdrop for more than 6,000 industry
leaders participating in this unparalleled global forum.  Held Oct. 16 - 18 at
Cobo Center in Detroit with the theme of "Automotive Electronics: Delivering
Technology's Promise," Convergence 2000 will feature much more than state-of-
the-art exhibits, leading-edge technical sessions and breakthrough white
papers.
    This year's conference boasts an impressive list of keynote speakers,
including Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems; Shoichiro Irimajiri,
representative director and vice chairman, Sega Enterprises; Carly Fiorina,
CEO, Hewlett Packard; C. Michael Armstrong, CEO, AT&T; William Ford, Jr.,
chairman of the board, Ford Motor Company and John F. "Jack" Smith, Jr.,
chairman of the board, General Motors Corporation.