Innovation

Pirelli: the future of tyres runs on data between artificial intelligence and virtualisation

The Italian manufacturer transforms the tyre into a digital object. Thanks to 'virtual twins', AI applied to the compounds and intelligent sensors that dialogue with the car.

by Mario Cianflone

17 February 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

In the automotive sector, innovation no longer only passes through mechanics, but is increasingly moving towards the intangible: data. Pirelli, the only global manufacturer focused exclusively on the consumer segment (cars, motorbikes and bicycles), has embarked on a radical transformation that sees virtualisation and Artificial Intelligence as the beating heart of its high-end strategy.

Over the last ten years, Pirelli's design process has moved from the creation of endless physical prototypes to a completely digital ecosystem. The star of this revolution is the Digital Twin, or digital twin: a highly sophisticated mathematical model that faithfully replicates tyre behaviour.

Digitally designing a tyre is an extreme technical challenge, since you are working on an object that can deform up to 300% and whose performance varies drastically depending on temperature (from 0° to 100°C). Today, Pirelli is able to simulate not only road grip, but also acoustic comfort (NVH) and performance on difficult surfaces such as mud and snow, reducing development time and costs. In this scenario, Formula 1 acts as an accelerated laboratory, transferring virtual technologies from the racetrack to everyday roads.

If virtualisation is well established, the new frontier is called Artificial Intelligence. Pirelli has introduced the Virtual Compounder, a system inspired by the pharmaceutical industry that uses AI to analyse decades of historical data and suggest new combinations of materials. The aim is not to replace humans, but to enhance their capabilities: the result is a tyre developed with AI and 'not by AI'.

The benefits are concrete: thanks to the analysis of micro-slips in the tread, the specific wear of new products has been reduced by an average of 20 per cent. Production also benefits from this breakthrough, with algorithms supporting the team at the Digital Solution Centre in Bari in optimising the planning of complex production processes.

Digitalisation is not only about how the tyre is made, but also how it interacts with the vehicle. The Cyber Tyre system turns the tyre into an active sensor. Through a collaboration with Bosch, pressure, temperature and acceleration data are sent in real time to on-board systems such as ABS and ESP.

This constant dialogue allows the car to adjust its behaviour to the actual tyre conditions, significantly reducing braking distances and increasing active safety. In addition, the data collected during real use becomes valuable material for engineers to design the products of the future.

The numbers confirm the validity of this technological vision. 2025 was a triumphant year for Pirelli, with 15 victories out of 34 comparisons by the specialised press and the title of 'Best Tyre of the Year' for the Cinturato All Season SF3.

On the original equipment front, the group has obtained over 320 type approvals, outperforming the competition by 50%. This success was also driven by Elect technology, dedicated to electric vehicles and capable of handling the challenges posed by the high masses and instantaneous torque of battery engines, which has now surpassed the milestone of 900 homologations overall.