NEXT HORIZONS 2026 - Move faster. Stay in control.
November 17–18, 2026 - Vector Headquarters, Stuttgart
NEXT HORIZONS, a new cross-industry event from Vector, brings together software architects, engineers, technical decision-makers and business leaders for two days of discussion around the challenges shaping software-defined systems.
Register now for this free event.
Decide what you can build next: 4 tech tracks
Each track starts from a question practitioners are already grappling with and the sessions are built to answer it.
Control software-defined systems at scale
Day 1, November 17
How can you maintain control when systems, supply chains, and organizations become more complex?
Complexity compounds across architecture, supplier relationships, and org charts at the same time, and control has to be designed in at each of those levels. This track covers architecture decisions, lifecycle governance, organizational transformation, and operating models.
Make AI deployable and trustworthy
Day 1, November 17
How can you make AI deployable while ensuring accountability, traceability, and regulatory oversight?
A model that performs well in a lab still has to meet technical, regulatory, and safety requirements before it reaches a product. . This track works through AI governance, regulatory compliance, safety engineering, and the workflows that make AI evidence traceable.
Accelerate engineering workflows without compromise
Day 2, November 18
How can you streamline end-to-end engineering workflows without compromising safety, security, quality, or compliance?
The challenge is not simply to move faster, but to make speed sustainable across the development lifecycle. This track focuses on DevOps, verification and validation, virtualization, and engineering automation that shorten cycles while keeping the safeguards intact.
Scale platforms beyond projects
Day 2, November 18
How do you build scalable, safe, and secure software platforms while keeping control over architecture, partners, and lifecycle ownership?
A platform outlives the project that created it, so ownership questions arrive sooner than most roadmaps assume. This track addresses platform architecture, legacy modernization, partnerships, and lifecycle ownership.
Four formats, one personal agenda
You choose which sessions to attend, and the formats reward different kinds of attention:
Keynotes set the strategic frame, with perspectives from AI, futurology, OEM leadership, and industrial pioneers.
Presentations deliver proven knowledge, use cases, and success stories from people who have shipped.
Deep Dives put small groups on concrete challenges, working hands-on with tools alongside peers who share their technical reality.
Networking & Exhibition spans 800 sqm, with open areas for conversations that go beyond the usual industry routine.
Three stages and four deep-dive rooms host sessions run in English or German. AI-based interpretation makes every session available in English.
Who's speaking
The lineup keeps growing. Confirmed voices include:
Maik Manthey, CTO, Jungheinrich
Steffen Tacke, Director R&D, Mercedes-Benz
Prof. Eric Sax, Head of ITIV, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Dr. Hiie-Mai Unger, CEO, DB Systemtechnik
Dr. Ravi Subramanian, Chief Product Management Officer, Synopsys
John Wall, President, QNX
Speakers from Neura Robotics, Intellias, Harmann, T-Systems, Bertrandt and many other leading companies. round out the program.
Who should attend
Strategic keynotes and curated exchange formats serve C-level leaders and technical decision-makers. Deep dives and exhibits are built for software architects, engineers, and developers. You can attend one day or both, so the track that matches your priorities sets your schedule.
Plan your visit
When: November 17–18, 2026
Where: Vector Headquarters, Holderäckerstraße 36, 70499 Stuttgart
Cost: Free. Registration is personalized, so colleagues register individually.
Getting there: Free parking with charging stations on site, Weilimdorf S-Bahn station five minutes away on foot, Stuttgart Airport about 30 minutes by road.