GM’s 2028 EV platform centers on computing and AI

General Motors is making computing and software central to its fourth-generation electric-vehicle platform, which is scheduled to debut in 2028 in the Cadillac Escalade IQ. The company announced the platform at its GM Forward event in New York.

The platform will use a Central Compute Unit (CCU) to manage vehicle systems including propulsion, steering, braking, perception and active safety. GM says the unit will be 40 times more powerful than its existing systems. Centralizing computing is also expected to reduce wiring by 30%, lowering weight and simplifying assembly. The CCU can also be used in gasoline-powered models.

GM plans to introduce an autonomous highway-driving feature in 2028. The company says it will let drivers take their hands and eyes off the road without needing to be ready to take over. The announcement did not provide further details about the feature.

GM is also using enterprise AI tools to speed vehicle development. In one example, engineers evaluated 300,000 virtual designs for a lithium-manganese-rich battery pack before building a physical prototype. GM says the work helped move the concept to an approved program in one month. The company aims to cut its usual four-to-five-year vehicle development timeline in half, matching the pace it says Chinese manufacturers have reached with two-to-three-year cycles.

GM’s software investment has included a Google-based infotainment system in nearly all its electric vehicles, after dropping Apple CarPlay projection from those models. The company’s capitalized software amortization expense was $866 million in 2025. GM did not disclose how much of its spending the new platform will require.