The automotive supply chain is under pressure from all sides. Supply disruptions, mounting sustainability regulations and the persistent inefficiency of manual, unstandardised processes are pushing OEMs and suppliers toward a new model of collaboration—one built on trusted, standardised data exchange. Catena-X, the automotive industry's first global collaborative data ecosystem, is making that possible at scale.

In a recent SAP webinar, Accelerating into Data Spaces, experts from the Catena-X Association, SAP's automotive industry team and ecosystem partners came together to share how companies can take their first steps into data sharing—and how a new government-backed funding programme makes starting easier than ever. This article captures the key highlights. To hear the full discussion and see the solutions in action, watch the complete webinar recording.

What is Catena-X?

Catena-X is the first globally trusted, collaborative data ecosystem built specifically for the automotive industry. The initiative was born five years ago, when the disruptions and transparency failures of the pandemic years made clear that companies could no longer address supply chain challenges working in isolation. The idea: create a shared, standardised layer where automotive companies—from raw material suppliers through to OEMs and recyclers—can exchange data securely and bi-directionally with business partners.

Adoption has moved from concept to procurement requirements. Major European OEMs including BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Ford have made Catena-X a mandatory standard, meaning suppliers to these companies are increasingly expected to deliver data via the network. And the ecosystem is global: Catena-X now has established partnerships in North America, India, China, Japan and South Korea, reflecting the international reach of most automotive supply chains.

For SAP, Catena-X is a core pillar of its automotive strategy—the trusted data foundation that can help the industry move toward what SAP calls the autonomous enterprise for automotive, where AI-powered decisions rely on consistent, business-grade data shared across a wider network.

A funded path to getting started: The data space accelerator programme

New to Catena-X? A German government-backed programme—the Data Space Accelerator—offers up to €30,000 in flat-fee reimbursement to cover your onboarding costs, with no detailed spend documentation required. Eligibility is deliberately broad: the programme is open to companies worldwide (EU, US, Japan, South Korea and more), with a minimum revenue threshold of €500,000 every year. Multiple legal entities in the same group can each qualify independently.

The full details on tracks, eligibility criteria and the step-by-step onboarding process are covered in the webinar. Watch the recording to get everything you need to decide if this is the right moment to start your Catena-X journey.

Four use cases that deliver immediate business value

SAP and its partners have built ready-to-use Catena-X solutions across four areas—each addressing a real pain point in the automotive supply chain. Here's a brief overview; the webinar covers each one in depth, including live demos.

Data Space Enablement—Built on SAP Integration Suite, the data space integration package capability enables convenient and sovereign data exchange using SAP´s Eclipse Dataspace Connector (EDC) and helps to ensure the connectivity that empowers organisations to participate confidently in data spaces, such as Catena-X. Powered by SAP Integration Suite, SAP´s partner Wiser developed an additional EDC offering, providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) easier access to SAP's data space connector technology.

Company Certificate Management—Still exchanging ISO certificates by email? With Catena-X, suppliers share certificates once via the data space and every connected customer gets real-time access to the latest version. SAP partner COAC have a ready-to-run solution on SAP Business Technology Platform, powered by AI to digitise existing PDFs automatically.

Product Carbon Footprint Management—SAP offers two Catena-X-certified solutions: SAP Sustainability Data Exchange to request and share footprint data across the supply chain and SAP Sustainability Footprint Management to calculate product carbon footprints based on ERP data as well as on supply chain data. Both are integrated out of the box.

Analytical Quality Management—Instead of waiting months for a recall to trace back to its root cause, SAP's analytical quality management solution enables OEMs and suppliers to jointly analyse vehicle field data in near real time—potentially detecting defects months earlier.

Digital Product Passport—Mandatory for batteries on the EU market from February 2027, the Digital Product Passport solution is built on SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration and covers required data attributes—from sustainability to recycling data—accessible via QR code to all stakeholders in the value chain.

Watch the full webinar

The shift to industrial data sharing is happening now—with real funding, proven use cases and a growing number of automotive companies already exchanging data via Catena-X. Whether your starting point is certificate management, carbon footprint data exchange or quality management, this webinar gives you a practical, expert-led overview of where to begin and how SAP and its partners can support your journey.

Watch the full webinar recording on the SAP Industry Network for Automotive