TIER IV and Astemo have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a next-generation software development platform for autonomous driving systems, with commercialization targeted around 2030. Under the agreement, Astemo will license TIER IV’s Co-MLOps architecture — a collaborative data-sharing technology — and apply it to a platform supporting continuous development of production-quality end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving AI models. Astemo says it aims to deploy those models in passenger vehicles in the early 2030s.
Highlights
- Commercialization target: the joint development platform is aimed at commercialization around 2030
- Deployment window: Astemo targets Level 4+ E2E AI models in passenger vehicles in the early 2030s
- Licensed technology: Astemo will license TIER IV’s Co-MLOps architecture and related technologies
- Existing groundwork: the companies previously collaborated on the Open AD Kit reference implementation, and Astemo participates in the Co-MLOps project launched in January 2024
What the Platform Is Meant to Do
E2E autonomous driving AI models fold perception, planning, and control into a single learning process. TIER IV describes them as an emerging foundational technology for next-generation advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems.
Bringing those models to production readiness, according to the company, requires two things in parallel: compliance with automotive safety and manufacturing standards, and an AI development infrastructure capable of continuously collecting, processing, training, and evaluating large-scale driving data. TIER IV frames that infrastructure as the basis for continuous model evolution and a key source of competitiveness in future production autonomous driving systems.
Two Workstreams Under the MoU
The collaboration is structured around two initiatives.
Building the development platform. Astemo will license TIER IV’s Co-MLOps architecture — the core technology underpinning the Co-MLOps solution — along with related technologies. The two companies will use those assets to build a platform integrating data collection, processing, training, evaluation, and continuous model improvement. In parallel, Astemo will establish an internal framework for developing and improving E2E models that meet quality and safety requirements for mass-production vehicles.
Joint study on Level 4+ models. By sharing insights and technological assets from the platform work, the companies will define and align technical requirements for E2E autonomous driving AI models and develop a medium- to long-term roadmap. TIER IV describes its Level 4+ effort as a path toward gradually expanding fully autonomous driving into more complex environments — an extension of the Level 4 operating permits it has pursued in Japan.
How the Two Companies Got Here
TIER IV and Astemo already share several points of contact. Both participate in the Autoware Foundation and SOAFEE, and the two previously collaborated on the reference implementation of Open AD Kit, a cloud-native framework for autonomous driving development built on Autoware. Astemo is also a participant in TIER IV’s Co-MLOps project, launched in January 2024. That earlier work included a joint initiative on software-defined vehicle architecture announced in 2024.
The MoU pairs TIER IV’s AI development platform work with Astemo’s position as a Tier 1 supplier, including functional safety compliance and vehicle integration spanning braking, suspension, powertrain, and ADAS.
What the Executives Said
“Bringing E2E autonomous driving AI models into real-world deployment requires advancing both mass-production readiness and AI development infrastructure in parallel,” said Shinpei Kato, founder and CEO of TIER IV. “We are delighted to deepen our collaboration with Astemo by providing licenses for TIER IV’s Co-MLOps solution and related technologies. Astemo’s track record as a global Tier 1 supplier makes it an ideal partner for this initiative. Together, we will further expand the Autoware ecosystem and accelerate the deployment of safe, scalable autonomous driving technologies.”
“We believe that next-generation autonomous driving systems will be driven by E2E AI models and data-centric AI development platforms that enable their continuous evolution,” said Hiroshi Tamagawa, Executive Vice President, CTO and CISO of Astemo. “Through our collaboration with TIER IV, whose expertise spans autonomous driving and data platform technologies, we aim to further strengthen the internet-of-vehicles platform that Astemo is developing. By leveraging the combined ecosystems of our two companies, we will expand these technologies beyond the automotive industry into broader mobility applications, helping shape the future of continuously evolving mobility.”
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