Toyota and NTT Partner to Develop AI-Powered Platform for Safer Roads
Toyota Motor Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) have announced a joint investment of 500 billion yen ($3.27 billion) by 2030 to develop an AI-powered infrastructure and software platform aimed at reducing traffic accidents.
The platform, dubbed the "mobility AI platform," will leverage large amounts of data to support driver assist technology and automated driving services. It is expected to be operational by 2028.
This collaboration comes amidst growing pressure on Japanese automakers to accelerate their efforts in the autonomous driving market, currently dominated by Tesla and Chinese companies.
Toyota and NTT envision the platform contributing to various aspects of road safety, including preventing accidents caused by poor visibility in urban areas, facilitating automated driving services, and simplifying expressway merging.
Their ambition extends beyond internal use, aiming to make the platform accessible to other industry players, government agencies, and academic partners who share the goal of achieving zero traffic accidents. Widespread adoption is targeted for 2030 onwards.
This partnership builds upon a foundation established in 2017, when Toyota and NTT began collaborating on 5G-connected car technology. In 2020, they further solidified their ties through a capital partnership for a smart city project.
Last November, NTT announced plans to test driverless vehicle technology with Toyota as early as 2025 and invest in a US-based self-driving systems startup.
Toyota established its autonomous driving technology unit in 2021, focusing on AI-powered mobility investments and development. This unit, now known as Woven by Toyota, is also responsible for developing the Arene automotive software platform and constructing the Woven City testing site for mobility-related systems and services in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.