Harinath Palavalli

Product and architecture leader with 15+ years of experience delivering AI-driven perception platforms for L2+/L4 autonomous systems on embedded automotive platforms. Currently serving as Chief System Architect, Co-owning product vision, system architecture, performance, data strategy, and execution across large-scale programs. Strong background in HW-SW co-design, SoC-aware optimization, and system-level debugging, with a proven record of building customer-ready, safety-compliant perception products.

Extensive experience collaborating with OEMs, Tier-1s, and silicon vendors to meet latency, power, memory, safety, and cost constraints, while leading 50+ member global teams and driving reliable system outcomes with measurable KPIs.

Aumovio SE / Continental Automotive Aug 2016 – Present

Progression: Module Lead → Traffic Control Architect → Function Delivery Owner → Product Owner → Product

Manager → Release Train Architect

Chief/System Architect – Perception Systems (Automotive Systems Architect) 2025 – Present

• Co-own product strategy, system architecture, and execution for perception platforms supporting L2+ and L4 autonomous mobility.
• Defined and communicated a long-term architecture vision and runway, driving alignment across multiple release trains and stakeholders, and enabling reusable, scalable perception architectures and interfaces across Camera, Radar, and LiDAR for multiple platforms and products, including Traffic Control, LiDAR Odometry, Obstacle Detection, and Safety Monitors.
• Led end-to-end data strategy: annotation tools, schemas, auto-annotation, curation, and train/val/test splits.
• Drove use-case decomposition, requirements traceability, verification, and satisfiability across system and software levels.
• Led architecture, safety, and design reviews—including FTA and FMEA—and designed and deployed ASIL-D sensor and perception safety monitors compliant with ISO26262.
• Collaborated closely with OEMs, SoC vendors, system architects, safety experts, test and other Agile Release Trains.

Product Manager – ART Perception Detection 2023 – 2025

• Composed and continuously evolved the product and architecture vision for AI-based perception systems across L2+ and L4 programs.
• Communicated and reinforced product vision across engineering, data, platform, validation, and business stakeholders, driving cross-functional alignment and sustained focus over multi-year roadmaps.
• Owned end-to-end product planning, execution, and delivery, translating OEM and system needs into clear scope, priorities, KPIs, and acceptance criteria, enabling predictable delivery across multiple L2+/L4 programs.
• Adapted product strategy based on feedback, technical constraints, and program realities while maintaining alignment with long-term architectural goals.
• Scaled and led a 50+ member global organization, optimizing team size from 70 through architectural modularity, and tool-driven automation, improving delivery predictability using agile and hybrid execution models.

Product Owner – Traffic Signs, Lights & Road Markings 2022 – 2023

• Architected high-performance traffic sign recognition systems supporting 2000+ sign variations across regions with frame, range and module level KPIs.
• Architected static object curation framework resulting in a >80% ODD coverage and decreasing data collection by >1000 km weekly.
• Developed semi-auto-annotation frameworks reducing annotation effort by >70%.
• Recognized internally as the Expert – Traffic Signs & Lights Recognition (2019–Present).

Earlier Experience

Lucid Imaging Pvt. Ltd. – Senior Software Engineer May 2012 – Aug 2016

Industrial machine vision inspection systems for currency/commercial print inspection and cotton sorting, using keypoint extraction, image registration, and defect detection algorithms.

End-to-end vision system design and integration across line-scan, area-scan, tri-linear, and quad-linear cameras, including sensor, lens, lighting, processing pipelines, and factory conveyor systems operating under space and environmental constraints.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics – Software Engineer Dec 2011 – Apr 2012

In-cabin Driver State Monitoring and touch-sensitivity visualization using OpenGL ES for embedded platforms.

Telibrahma Convergent Communications – Software Engineer Aug 2010 – Dec 2011

Augmented reality virtual try-on systems using human pose and body structure estimation with real-time 2D/3D visualization.

Scaled Agile Product Owner / Product Manager (SAFe POPM)

Leadership Development Programs (Continental LDP, LDP2)

Expert – Traffic Signs & Lights Recognition (Continental)

Coursera Certifications – AI, ML, Computer Vision, Big Data

B.E. in Information Science — The Oxford College of Engineering, VTU 2006 – 2010

Pre-University College — The Oxford College 2004 – 2006