One misstep in compliance could delay programs, trigger audits, or stall innovation. But trying to make sense of legal text, let alone translating it into practical engineering requirements, can feel like navigating a regulatory labyrinth.
Understanding the EU AI Act can feel overwhelming. With over 450 pages of legal language, turning regulation into engineering reality is no small task. For automotive developers working on high-risk AI systems, especially within SDVs, compliance is often slow, manual, and costly.
The real-world impact of the EU AI Act
AI development teams are under fire from all sides. Manual assessments slow everything down, costing time, money, and momentum. Engineers are stuck juggling innovation with red tape while the clock to launch keeps ticking. The compliance landscape isn’t just complex; it’s volatile.
Teams must be ready for both scheduled audits and surprise inspections, often with little notice. And the risks? They’re not hypothetical. Non-compliance can mean fines of up to €7.5 million or 3% of global turnover. Trustworthy AI means that the AI system is ethical, safe and secure. The EU AI Act provides requirements to prove that AI is trustworthy. Therefore, Multi-domain expertise is now essential, spanning AI, cybersecurity, safety, and regulatory affairs, yet most teams are stretched thin.
Meanwhile, the old way of working, manual reviews, spreadsheets and endless documentation, simply cannot keep up. AI systems are too fast, too complex, and too dynamic for a patchwork approach.
Elektrobit’s AI Trust & Compliance Framework for SDVs: Compliance without the bottleneck
For these reasons, Elektrobit developed the AI Trust & Compliance Framework. Built specifically for the demands of SDVs, it’s designed to bridge the gap between abstract legal obligations and real-world development without slowing you down. Its modular, automated compliance framework helps customers evaluate High-Risk and Generative AI systems under the EU AI Act; quickly, reliably, and cost-effectively.
Designed for software-defined vehicles, but adaptable across industries, it automates the heavy lifting: mapping legal obligations to engineering tasks and generating conformity assessment reports with the push of a button.
Key use cases
- Overall assessment – Accelerating end-to-end compliance
An AI provider planning to deploy a High-Risk AI system in the EU wants to avoid the time and cost of manual review. With our offering, they receive a full system assessment in a fraction of the time—audit-ready and fully aligned with the EU AI Act.
- Configurable report package – Focused assessments on demand
Sometimes , only targeted compliance checks are necessary. For instance, an AI provider might want to assess just the balance of their model’s dataset. The framework supports customizable, topic-specific evaluations—delivering focused insights without the complexity or cost of a full-scale audit.
- Future vision – Empowering auditors
As the framework proves its value, we aim to promote it as a tool for official assessors (e.g., TÜV) to reduce their own assessment time and costs. A dedicated “Audit Phase” interface is already in development—tailored for auditors and designed to facilitate fast, clearly organized feedback.
Who benefits the most?
OEMs bear the primary responsibility for ensuring system-level compliance with the EU AI Act. Before a vehicle can be launched, they must verify that every high-risk AI system meets the required regulatory standards. This places significant pressure on key stakeholders—including compliance officers, system engineers, AI/ML and ADAS developers, as well as R&D and quality leaders—to align cutting-edge innovation with strict legal obligations.
Tier 1 suppliers also have strategic opportunities. As developers of critical AI-driven components, they are expected to demonstrate component-level compliance to OEMs. Doing so not only facilitates smoother collaboration but also enhances their competitive edge. Key roles involved include AI product owners, ASPICE and compliance leads, embedded AI teams, and functional safety engineers.
From legal burden to engineering advantage
What if compliance didn’t slow you down, but made your development process stronger? Elektrobit’s AI Trust & Compliance Framework turns regulatory complexity into a source of clarity. With automated, audit-ready reporting aligned to the EU AI Act, teams will assess AI systems, models, and data in real time. Compliance becomes structured and traceable, from initial design through post-market support.
The framework is backed by deep domain expertise across AI, SDV, safety, and cybersecurity, and integrates flexibly with model-based tools and CI/CD pipelines. Built for scale, it’s already expanding beyond automotive into industries like healthcare and aerospace; where safety and trust are non-negotiable.
Compliance without compromise
The EU AI Act is no longer on the horizon, it’s here. But compliance doesn’t have to come at the cost of innovation. With Elektrobit’s AI Trust & Compliance Framework for SDVs, you can move faster, with confidence. Stay innovative. Stay compliant. Stay ahead.
Contact us for a free consultation session or register for our upcoming webinar: How automakers can navigate the EU AI Act – Mobex
Author
Sandy Rodrigues
Technical Project Manager and Expert in AI, Elektrobit
