United Kingdom (UK)-based artificial intelligence (AI) company Wayve Technologies Ltd and backed by SoftBank Group Corp has chosen Japan as the next location for its global expansion efforts.
On Tuesday, the company opened a test center in Yokohama as its fourth market after the UK, the United States (US) and Germany to collaborate on developing AI-based autonomous guidance technology.
Chief executive officer Alex Kendall said the platform offers safer, more reliable driving and has the potential to improve safety, accessibility and efficiency.
Alex also said most systems still operate at level 2 or 3 autonomy, requiring user observation and taking over driving if necessary.
Wayve subsequently secured a record US$1 billion (RM4.38 billion) from Nvidia Corp, Uber Technologies Inc and Microsoft Corp.
In early April, Wayve said it would join forces with Nissan Motor Co to build its Propilot assistance system, which is expected to be operational for about two years.
However, Wayve and Nissan's decision to collaborate has raised questions from some as the carmaker is experiencing its worst financial crisis in a quarter of a century.
The carmaker has taken the initiative to find a new business partner, Honda Motor Co., as its sole parent company, which began in February.
The advantages of the Wayve system come from the amount of data collected and the fact that the system is hardware-free.
