BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. ( CRNC ) (“Cerence AI”), a global leader pioneering conversational AI-powered user experiences, today announced that its hybrid, agentic AI platform, Cerence ( CRNC ) xUI™, was named AutoTech AI Solution of the Year in the sixth annual AutoTech Breakthrough Awards program recognizing the top companies, technologies, and products in the global automotive and transportation technology markets.

xUI – which has already been adopted by several leading automakers as the basis for their next-gen in-car assistants – is powered by CaLLM™, the company’s family of large and small language models. It offers multi-modal capabilities and seamlessly integrates third-party models, real-time data, and contextual information from the vehicle to deliver AI assistants that support drivers and passengers through natural voice interaction and fluid orchestration across multiple agents.

Standing out amongst thousands of nominations from 15 countries, xUI was recognized as AutoTech AI Solution of the Year based on the value it delivers for OEMs and their end users, including:

Agentic capabilities: It seamlessly integrates third-party AI agents, agents built by Cerence ( CRNC ), and agents developed by automakers themselves to deliver a cohesive user experience. Last month, Cerence ( CRNC ) announced that it is developing a mobile work AI agent in collaboration with Microsoft. The AI agent will run on xUI, integrating Microsoft 365 Copilot to allow people who choose to work in the car to do so more safely and securely through voice-first access to Microsoft 365 Copilot, Teams, Outlook, and OneNote.Hybrid conversational AI: xUI runs on the cloud and the edge, giving OEMs the immediacy and reliability of on-device AI combined with the depth and flexibility of cloud-based intelligence.Complex interactions made simple: Multi-step conversational threads enable natural, fluid exchanges across embedded and cloud-based domains while multi-modal capabilities allow in-car AI assistants to understand the world around the vehicle and process a broader range of user input.Future-proof, flexible architecture: xUI integrates with OEM-first and third-party technologies, so customers can avoid vendor lock-in and choose the best hardware, software and language models for their specific needs.Controlled brand experience: OEMs benefit from bespoke AI assistant experiences that reinforce their brand values.Domain expertise: Backed by Cerence’s deep automotive experience, xUI empowers OEMs with custom solutions, effortless integration, and purpose-built automotive UX design. “xUI delivers a crisp, context-aware conversational experience that reduces cognitive load. The result is a fully branded, personalized AI assistant that is flexible, transparent, and smarter by design,” said Cerence AI Chief Revenue Officer Christian Mentz. “We’re incredibly grateful to AutoTech Breakthrough for this award.”

“Cerence xUI is a scalable, future-ready assistant that helps deliver a differentiated, intelligent in-car experience. Most off-the-shelf solutions are adapted from general-purpose systems and fail to meet in-vehicle performance and safety requirements. These visually complex, touch-based UIs are not only distracting but fail to meet modern customer expectations for deep vehicle integration,” said Bryan Vaughn, Managing Director, AutoTech Breakthrough. “xUI’s natural, voice-first interface enables users to speak freely and naturally, complete multi-step tasks through smart conversations, and receive meaningful, context-aware responses. This incredible innovation makes xUI our choice for AutoTech AI Solution of the Year.”

To learn more about Cerence AI, visit www.cerence.ai, and follow the company on LinkedIn.

About Cerence Inc. ( CRNC )

Cerence Inc. ( CRNC ) is a global industry leader in creating intuitive, seamless, AI-powered experiences across automotive and transportation. Leveraging decades of innovation and expertise in voice, generative AI, and large language models, Cerence ( CRNC ) powers integrated experiences that create safer, more connected, and more enjoyable journeys for drivers and passengers alike. With more than 525 million cars shipped with Cerence ( CRNC ) technology, the company partners with leading automakers, transportation OEMs, and technology companies to advance the next generation of user experiences. Cerence ( CRNC ) is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with operations globally and a worldwide team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI innovation. For more information, visit www.cerence.ai.

About AutoTech Breakthrough

Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the AutoTech Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in automotive technologies, services, companies and products. The AutoTech Breakthrough Awards program provides a forum for public recognition around the achievements of AutoTech companies and solutions in categories including Connected Car, Electric Vehicles, Engine Tech, Automotive CyberSecurity, Sensor Technology, Traffic Tech, Vehicle Telematics and more. For more information visit AutoTechBreakthrough.com

Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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Source: Cerence Operating Company