FEBRUARY 2026AUTOTECHOUTLOOK.COM9Function-wise, flexibility scales up with the number of LEDs and their size used as OEMs are demanding it and pushing. Headlamps and rear lamps with several hundreds of tiny LEDs are state-of-the-art, but no one knows or sees them. And the trend goes on, with micrometre-sized LEDs on the horizon for much more flexibility. But this comes at the cost of complex LED drivers and interfaces, as well as weight caused by a lot of wires used. My observation here is that the introduction of smaller and integrated high-power drivers accompanied by high bandwidth interfaces such as CAN-FD and 10Base-T1S is the key to getting rid of these problems. As usual, costs from a BOM perspective are crucial in the beginning, but this argument could be counterbalanced by the fact, that fewer cables and wires are used which reduces overall weight. The industry-wide shift to centralized architectures to enable software-defined vehicles (SDV) already affects the design and electrical components for exterior lighting as mentioned before, but more in a second step from my perspective where ADAS, Infotainment and Connectivity are the frontrunning domains. I see a chance for automotive suppliers such as ZKW among other competitors to already prepare their products in a way, that the transition of exterior lighting to SDV will be smooth. Software has been already an integral part of exterior lighting products, but even if OEMs are claiming software engineering as their sole competence more and more, there are possibilities as OEMs are not immune from failing. The difficulty in my opinion here is to find an open door and be successful and persuade OEMs by bringing added value which they won't have. Together with our shareholder LG, we are investigating doing so.Everyone in the automotive industry is talking about greater functionality with software and updates over time--you can see it at related conferences and media news, but everyone should also take care of the hardware needed to realize all the innovative concepts. My future perspective here would be to come up with an all-in-one package consisting of use cases, added value, software and hardware on one hand and on the other hand, investigate in exploitation of existing products/technologies by adding modern capabilities. I am looking forward with an open mind to all the future opportunities. The transition to LED-based exterior lighting in the automotive industry presents both challenges and opportunities. While advancements in thermal management and miniaturization are ongoing, the integration of high-power drivers and high-bandwidth interfaces, along with a shift towards centralized architectures, will be key to unlocking the full potential of software-defined vehicles.
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