What that basically means is that lots of entities – from tech schools and universities to race teams and OEMs – are using some version of Autoware’s AI in their ADAS development projects. And, because it’s open source, progress and improvements made by one party can benefit all parties involved.
As for who these parties are, some of the bigger names include LG, Toyota (through TRI-AD, a research group focused on autonomous driving), Tata, TomTom, ARM, Apex.ai, and the US Dept. of Transportation. An array of other ride-hailing, robotaxi, and autonomous bus startups are also involved, and they all seem to be focused more on “mobility as a service” products vs. anything like “Level 5 autonomy”.
For what it’s worth, everyone involved in the Foxconn/Autoware alliance seems enthusiastic about its prospects. Jack Cheng, CEO of MIH Consortium said “To enable developers to innovate and create great user experience and applications, we must work towards a Software-Defined Vehicles future by realizing the Open EV Platform vision. MIH is excited to join force with the Autoware Foundation in the area of autonomous driving.”
Autoware founder Shinpei Kato echoed that view, stating that, “MIH will define the requirements for automotive grade AD solutions, and when automotive grade solutions based on Open AD Kit become available, they will be integrated into the AD/ADAS of the MIH Open EV Platform.”