Nissan said it is a groundbreaking deal for Buzzy UK startup, which has raised over $1.3 billion from Nvidia, Microsoft, Softbank Group and Uber to enhance its advanced driver assistance systems from 2027 using autonomous driving software developed by Wayve.
Nissan will integrate Wayve software and sensors, including its private supplier Lidar, into an ADAS system known as Propilot. The Japanese automaker said the system will set “new standards for autonomous driving with advanced collision avoidance capabilities.”
Nissan said that by 2027 the system being developed for mass production will be a Level 2 system that operates under the supervision of the driver. Nissan did not disclose models that allow the system to be used, as defined by the Automotive Engineers Association. This means that the system can automate multiple drive tasks such as steering and braking, but it requires that the driver be kept in control at all times.
Launched in 2017, Wayve attracted attention and investors for automated driving systems that are automated learning and rules-based, similar to Tesla’s approach. Wayve has developed an end-to-end, data-driven learning approach for “Eyes On” driving and “Eyes Off” fully automated driving systems.
Unlike Tesla, Wayve plans to sell “embodied AI” to automakers and other high-tech companies.
Wayve’s self-learning approach is seen as particularly attractive to automakers as it does not rely on specific sensors or HD maps. This means that Wayve’s system can operate with existing sensors such as cameras and radars. Automated driving software captures data from these sensors and directly informs the system of driving decisions.
The startup’s development fleet also uses Nvidia’s Orin System-on-chip, but co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall says the software can run on the GPU that the OEM partner already has in the vehicle.
All of these have been translated into inexpensive software used and used in advanced driver assistance systems, Robotaxis and even robotics.
Nissan spokesman Shiro Nagai emailed Wayve’s embodied AI Foundation model, a massive end-to-end AI trained with a vast amount of real-world drive data, that software can adapt to a variety of environments and vehicle platforms.
“We believe that using Nissan’s technology and Wave’s AI will allow future Nissan vehicles to meticulously replicate the judgment and actions of careful, capable human drivers in complex driving scenarios,” Hase said.
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