Toyota Motor Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) have announced plans to jointly invest 500 billion yen (approximately $3.27 billion) by 2030 in an artificial intelligence-driven infrastructure and software platform aimed at reducing traffic accidents.
In a statement released on Thursday, the two companies expressed their intention to create a mobility AI platform that leverages extensive data to enhance driver assistance technologies, with a target for the system to be operational by 2028.
This collaboration comes as Japanese automotive manufacturers are under increasing pressure to intensify their efforts in the burgeoning autonomous driving sector, which companies like Tesla and various Chinese firms currently dominate. Toyota and NTT anticipate that their platform will address issues such as accidents arising from poor visibility in urban settings, facilitate automated driving services, and simplify the process of merging onto motorways.
The aim is to make this system accessible not only to themselves but also to other industry stakeholders, government entities, and academic partners, all working towards the ambitious goal of eliminating traffic accidents, with widespread adoption projected for 2030.
The partnership between Toyota and NTT began in 2017 with a focus on developing technology for 5G-connected vehicles, evolving into a capital alliance as part of a smart city initiative in 2020. In November of last year, NTT revealed its plans to test driverless vehicle technology with Toyota as early as 2025 and to invest in a U.S. startup specialising in self-driving systems.
In 2021, Toyota established a unit dedicated to autonomous driving technology, now known as Woven by Toyota, which is also working on an automotive software platform called Arene. Additionally, the unit is constructing a testing site named Woven City in Shizuoka Prefecture, located west of Tokyo, to facilitate the development of mobility-related systems and services.
Frances Ibiefo
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