TIER IV is launching a joint initiative with Hitachi Astemo to advance autonomous driving systems and software-defined vehicles (SDVs). The collaboration will build on Autoware, an open-source software for autonomous driving, which both companies have collaborated on developing through the Autoware Foundation (AWF), as well as their engagement with the Scalable Open Architecture for Embedded Edge (SOAFEE) initiative. The companies are aiming to deliver solutions for mass production vehicle models by 2030.

A new class of suppliers dubbed Tier 0.5 has emerged that offers value-added solutions beyond conventional Tier 1 models. Positioned as a Tier 0.5 supplier, Hitachi Astemo provides system solutions that consider the entire vehicle’s architecture.

Hitachi Astemo is developing a reference system (Internet of Vehicles Platform: IoV PF) for system development tailored to the needs of car makers. It is also developing a cloud-native software architecture that supports development and standardises specifications on the cloud. These developments aim to enhance development efficiency, elevate product quality, reduce costs, and enable faster time-to-market. The architecture will integrate Autoware as the core autonomous driving software.

TIER IV has been collaborating with members of AWF and SOAFEE to define industry-standard and expand the reach of the Open AD Kit, a comprehensive referential development kit for autonomous driving systems built on Autoware. The company plans to enhance clound-native environments for the kit and support the development of autonomous driving systems based on the SOAFEE-compliant SDV architecture. This collaboration will build on Hitachi Astemo’s reference system to accelerate the next-generation Open AD Kit project.

TIER IV is accelerating development of a large-scale, cooperative machine learning operations (MLOps) infrastructure and embedded edge AI models specifically designed for autonomous driving systems. With the launch of the Co-MLOps project in January 2024, TIER IV will lead on creation of a global framework that allows companies worldwide to collaborate and share data, accelerating advancements in machine learning and edge AI development. These capabilities will be integrated into the Open AD Kit and will also be aligned with Hitachi Astemo’s reference system.