Why Cars Need Better Connectivity For Digital Twins To Work

InnovationWhy Cars Need Better Connectivity For Digital Twins To WorkByIvo Ivanov,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)May 14, 2026, 06:30am EDTIvo Ivanov is the CEO of DE-CIX. getty​The crew aboard the Artemis II lunar flyby mission has traveled further from the Earth than any other human being in history. Since it was founded in 1958, NASA has been responsible for some of humankind’s biggest technological breakthroughs, from water purification systems to memory foam. Even the cameras in our smartphones are built on NASA’s CMOS image sensor technology, designed to miniaturize cameras for interplanetary missions. And so it follows with digital twins, initially developed in the 1960s to provide a “living model” of the Apollo 13 spacecraft. More than half a century later, many industries, including the automotive industry, are continuing to develop and utilize high-fidelity digital models of physical systems.​Modern “smart” vehicles may have as much in common with computing as with mechanics in 2026, but they are still physical systems that must interact constantly with the physical world. They generate vast, continuous streams of data from sensors, software systems and user interactions, which can be used to create virtual counterparts or “digital twins” that can simulate performance, anticipate failures and refine everything from safety systems to in-car experiences. While space may seem like the ultimate test for digital twin technology, the environment in which cars operate is extremely dynamic and complex. Vehicles face a great number of challenging variables—like unpredictable traffic flows, adverse weather and changing surface conditions—and they need to handle those variables while interacting with infrastructure, networks and services that sit far beyond the car itself. The effectiveness of any digital...