SCAE joins forces with Secondmind to speed up future vehicle development for Japanese OEMs using Engineering AI
SC Automotive Engineering Co., Ltd. (SCAE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, has entered into a strategic reseller agreement with Secondmind, a Cambridge-based developer of data-efficient engineering AI, in a move that brings UK-developed artificial intelligence to Japanese automotive design and testing. The partnership, the first technology alliance SCAE has struck with a company outside Japan, will see Secondmind’s cloud-native model-based engineering software offered as a core component of SCAE’s consulting services to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The goal is to address the rising complexity of developing Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric (CASE) vehicles, which SCAE has identified as a strategic priority.
Secondmind’s software is built on a machine learning technique known as Active Learning, which helps engineers make informed decisions with greater confidence while reducing the need for extensive simulations and physical testing. The company’s technical foundation draws on the expertise of Professor Carl Edward Rasmussen, a machine learning professor at Cambridge University who serves as Secondmind’s Chief Science Officer. Secondmind was founded in Cambridge in 2016 under the name Prowler.io and later pivoted to focus on the automotive sector. It has raised significant funding — reported at around $40 million, $68 million and $73 million across multiple rounds — from investors including Mazda Motor Corporation, Amadeus Capital Partners, Atlantic Bridge Ventures and Cambridge Innovation Capital. In 2023 it won the Autotech AI Breakthrough of the Year Award.
How the AI reduces simulations and physical testing
Secondmind’s software targets two domains where engineering complexity is greatest: Design Space Exploration and Calibration. In the design phase, engineers traditionally run vast numbers of simulations to explore design values in high-dimensional spaces and meet target performance. The number of possible combinations can be enormous, and conventional empirical rules and exhaustive simulation methods require significant time and cost. Secondmind for Design Space Exploration reduces simulations by up to 80 % and quantifies uncertainty, enabling engineers to navigate complex design spaces and make informed trade-offs at every stage. A leading engine manufacturer recently used the software to discover three times more feasible designs in half the time compared with its existing simulator, resulting in more choices, flexibility and confidence, and lowering the risk of costly rework later in development.
The calibration of e-motors, engines and other power systems is another time-consuming process that traditionally relies on extensive experimentation and large volumes of physical test data. Secondmind for Calibration intelligently automates experimental design, reducing physical testing to only the data that contributes most to achieving the performance objective. This cuts the time needed to calibrate complex systems by more than 50 %. Mazda Motor Corporation, a long-standing strategic partner of Secondmind, has reported a 59 % reduction in engineering-hours in calibration using the technology when compared with conventional methods. The software’s Active Learning approach underpins both domains, enabling engineers to make confident decisions with less data — an approach Secondmind’s CEO describes as helping the company act as “the second mind of the engineer.”
Executive perspectives
Toshimi Yamanoi, President and CEO of SCAE, said: “At SCAE, our mission is to bridge the most innovative technologies emerging globally with Japan’s automotive engineers. Secondmind is exactly the kind of partner we were looking for — a company with genuinely transformative technology and proven results. The feedback we have received from our customers on Secondmind’s capabilities gives us real confidence that it will change the way Japanese automakers design and test products. This partnership opens an exciting new chapter for SCAE, and we look forward to the impact we will create together.”
Gary Brotman, CEO of Secondmind, who previously held leadership roles at Qualcomm and Yahoo!, said: “We’re grateful to SCAE for welcoming Secondmind as its first technology partner from outside Japan. This partnership represents a meaningful milestone for us, but more importantly, it opens the door to bringing the benefits of data-efficient Engineering AI to more SCAE customers across Japan. By uniting SCAE’s trusted engineering leadership with our industry leading model-based design and calibration technologies, we will help OEMs and their suppliers manage rising engineering complexity, shorten development cycles, reduce cost burdens, and deliver the uncompromising quality that defines Japan’s automotive industry.”
Japanese automotive market under pressure
The partnership arrives as Japan’s automotive sector faces intensifying global competition, particularly from Chinese electric vehicle makers, and structural challenges including an aging workforce and difficulty attracting younger talent. Domestic brands hold approximately 95 % of the Japanese market, with Toyota dominating, and smaller Kei cars account for over a third of new vehicle sales. While EV adoption is growing cautiously, hybrid vehicles remain dominant — sales surpassed two million units in 2024. Automakers are increasingly embracing digitalisation and software-defined vehicles, integrating advanced software, AI and connected services. SCAE, established in August 2020 with a mission to “Energize Japan’s car manufacturing,” comprises experienced engineers from OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, and offers services including research, development, design, prototyping, evaluation, technical support and consulting. The company leverages the global network of its parent Sumitomo Corporation to identify partners and provide solutions, with bilingual experts capable of supporting international projects. The reseller agreement with Secondmind is the anchor tenant in SCAE’s broader strategy to address the mounting complexity of developing Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric vehicles.
