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As part of the company's FaSTLAne 2030 strategy, Stellantis is turning to Silicon Valley startups to help it better compete in an ever-more software-defined world. It's part of the $70 billion investment plan we told you about last week that'll bring with it 60 new vehicle launches and 50 refreshes by 2030 as well as an (unfortunate) heavy emphasis on AI meant to accelerate software and autonomous driving development. To get that done, Stellantis is partnering with a California-based company called Applied Intuition, which focuses mainly on vehicle software. Under the new agreement, which is a continuation of a previous deal that was inked toward the end of 2025, Applied Intuition will help Stellantis develop and scale its next-generation "STLA Brain' software architecture. Before the announcement, the company was already working on Stellantis' AI-powered infotainment software, called Smart Cockpit. From the Detroit Free Press:
STLA Brain, billed as an "intelligent vehicle" technology system that can be used in all of Stellantis' vehicles, has been in development since 2021. It handles things like over-the-air updates, software integration and vehicle electronics.Now, Stellantis has handed its Brain to Applied Intuition.
In signing that deal — and others with Uber, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Wayve — Stellantis is leaning on AI startups in lieu of internal technology research to develop its software-forward slate of future products.
According to Younis, the CEO of Applied Intuition, Silicon Valley startups can do it better.
"Speed, scalability and quality are critical as we bring new technologies to our vehicles," Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer Ned Curic said in a statement announcing the deal.
The scalability Curic referenced is especially critical to a company like Stellantis, which maintains a 14-brand portfolio. Younis hopes his technology can be implemented in all of the company's brands — though it's his hope that drivers won't have any idea that it is Applied Intuition who made the product.
For Stellantis, the partnership reflects a broader shift underway across the global auto industry:
Traditional automakers increasingly rely on specialized software companies to build the digital backbone of their vehicles.
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"We already have an ongoing working relationship with a company from the, you know, from the most senior level, all the way to the working level," he said. "And this work is like double, tripling, quadrupling down on that work."
In fact, Applied Intuition employees frequent the Auburn Hills office and are regularly in close contact with Stellantis tech leaders.
Applied Intuition started working with Stellantis on in-vehicle infotainment and cockpit systems more than a year ago, Younis said. The expanded agreement now stretches into core vehicle software, parking autonomy and integration work involving other technology partners, including Qualcomm and British autonomous driving startup Wayve.
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Younis said that automotive software development resembles the broader tech industry, where companies build shared platforms and tools rather than developing every component internally, like open source code for vehicles.
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Comparing the Chinese automotive market to the U.S. market is an uneven comparison, Younis said, but if you're going to make it, he believes that Silicon Valley is still the leader of advanced automotive technology. The question of profit becomes the hangup.
Stellantis' betting on a Silicon Valley startup to control its in-vehicle software definitely feels like a bit of a gamble, to say the least. I suppose if it works out, it could be a real breakthrough for a company that has been lagging behind the industry for some time now, but it could also end up being a real mess if things go boom.
