Toyota, NTT Invest $3bn In Autonomous Driving

Companies reportedly working together on autonomous AI system to predict accidents before they happen, take control of car

Carmaking giant Toyota and telecoms firm NTT are to invest 500 billion yen ($3.3bn, £2.5bn) in research and development to create artificial intelligence (AI) software that can anticipate accidents and take control of a car, Nikkei reported on Tuesday.

The system is to use next-generation optical communications infrastructure being developed by NTT to handle the large amounts of data involved, Nippon.com reported, like Nikkei citing unnamed sources.

The companies plan to have a system ready by 2028 and to provide it to other automakers on a commercial basis.

The driver-assistance feature envisioned by the companies involves monitoring traffic around the car through sensors, with AI used to analyse the data in real-time to detect when an accident is about to occur, taking control of the vehicle and controlling it to attempt to avoid the accident.

Accident prevention

The system is to use the IOWN next-generation optical communications platform being developed by NTT, which uses light instead of electrical signals to increase communications capacity and save power.

The platform is expected to support the so-called 6G standard expected to replace the 5G large-capacity ultrahigh-speed wireless communications standard.

The companies worked together in 2017 to develop 5G-connected cars and worked together on a smart city project in 2020.

Japanese carmakers are attempting to develop market share in advanced driver-assistance and autonomous driving technology, which is currently dominated by Tesla and numerous Chinese automakers.

European carmakers are also developing such systems, with Mercedes-Benz in August becoming the first foreign auto firm to be granted permission to test Level 4 fully autonomous vehicle tests on designated roads and motorways in Chinese capital Beijing.

Advanced driver-assistance

Mercedes said road tests for Level 4 self-driving would cover moves such as parking, U-turns, entering and exiting roundabouts, passing through toll booths and changing lanes when the vehicle in front slows down.

Level 4 allows a car to “do the driving for most scenarios without human takeover”, the company said.

Such vehicles are considered fully autonomous and able to navigate without the need for a human driver, although a driver can request to take over.

Mercedes said it would test systems with two S-Class sedans equipped with sensors including lidar, millimetre-wave radar and cameras.