Driverless trucks are part of a push to put more robot vehicles on US roads thanks to a new deal between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and German tech company AUMOVIO.
The two are partnering up to accelerate the development of safer, smarter self-driving vehicles using AI.
The deal is to create driverless vehicles such as trucks for self-driving road freight operator Aurora.
“Our collaboration with AWS is a cornerstone of our strategy to lead the transformation to autonomous mobility,” said Ismail Dagli, head of the Autonomous Mobility business division at AUMOVIO.
“We are creating a solution that combines cloud infrastructure, AI capabilities and automotive expertise, efficiently turning data into actionable insights across complex information environments.”
DRIVERLESS CHALLENGES
An Amazon statement says that self-driving vehicles must be able to process huge amounts of information such as driving scenarios, driver behaviour and safety on a daily basis quickly and accurately.
It expects that by tapping into AUMOVIO’s deep automotive technology expertise, they can identify critical safety patterns and improve vehicle hazard detection quicker.
“The (US) automotive industry is at an inflection point where traditional development methods simply can’t keep pace,” claims Jeremy McClain, head of System & Software Business at AUMOVIO.
“Our customers are racing to bring autonomous technology to market without compromising on safety and AWS’s capabilities allow us to help them do move faster while maintaining rigorous safety standards.”
AI TO SPEED UP WORK
Engineers will be able to use AI to test driverless vehicle systems against millions of recorded driving scenarios to reduce a week-long process to instant results.
Amazon says that AI will free up engineers to focus more on development, not data management.
“At AWS, we believe the future of autonomous mobility isn’t just about technology—it’s about enabling our partners to deliver on the promise of safer, more efficient transportation at scale,” said Ozgur Tohumcu, general manager of Automotive and Manufacturing at AWS.
AURORA’S NEXT GEN TRUCKS
AWS and AUMOVIO are teaming up with Aurora, the first company to launch driverless trucks in the US, to build its Aurora Driver robot truck.
When production begins in 2027, AUMOVIO will provide a backup computer for the vehicle; the vehicle is also currently undergoing what Amazon says is “a rigorous process” that includes virtual testing and processing sensor data.
As part of the validation process for driverless operations, the Aurora Driver has satisfied more than 10,000 requirements and passed 4.5 million tests.
“Working with AWS to power the development of the Aurora Driver is critical to becoming the first company to launch driverless trucks in the US,” says Matt Ellis, senior vice-president (software engineering) with Aurora.
“Assembling an ecosystem of world-class partners to deliver the Driver at scale will continue to be key to strengthening our leadership in autonomous freight.”
Learn more from AWS at aws.amazon.com.
ABOUT AUMOVIO
AUMOVIO is a Frankfurt, German, technology and electronics company working in sensor solutions, displays, braking, and comfort systems.
The company has over 86,000 employees in more than 100 locations worldwide.
● Media reports since 2022 say driverless truck trials in Australia have been happening; click here for one such report from 2024.
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