Japanese autonomous driving software developer Tier IV has made an undisclosed investment in Taiwan-based start-up Turing Drive.
The firms have entered into a capital and strategic partnership to “advance autonomous driving technology development and expand global operations”.
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Turing Drive builds self-driving solutions for low-speed use cases and geofenced areas. These encompass industrial facilities, ports, airports, and business sites.
The start-up operates projects in Taiwan, Japan and several other countries in Asia.
Tier IV is a key contributor to the development of Autoware, an open-source autonomous driving software stack.
Turing Drive became a member of the Autoware Foundation, the non-profit entity that backs open-source initiatives for self-driving mobility, in September 2024.
Tier IV CEO Shinpei Kato said: “This partnership with Turing Drive represents a significant step forward in accelerating the deployment of autonomous driving across Asia.
“At Tier IV, our mission has always been to make autonomous driving accessible to all. By collaborating with Turing Drive, which has demonstrated remarkable achievements in real-world deployments in Taiwan, we aim to deliver autonomous driving that enables a safer, more sustainable and more inclusive society.”
Tier IV says the partnership will be leveraged to further enhance its Pilot.Auto autonomous driving software platform.
Pilot.Auto, which is based on the open-source Autoware stack, underpins self-driving systems used across a wide range of scenarios, including factory and warehouse logistics, public transit services, robotaxi operations and autonomous freight transport.
Turing Drive chairman Weilung Chen said: “We are thrilled to establish this strategic alliance with Tier IV, a global leader in open-source autonomous driving. In Taiwan, autonomous driving deployment is gaining significant momentum, particularly across logistics hubs, ports, airports, and industrial campuses.
“By combining our field expertise with Tier IV’s world-class Pilot.Auto platform, we aim to accelerate the development of practical, commercially viable mobility services powered by autonomous driving.”
