Press Release, 29 September 2025
TIER IV, a leader in open-source software for autonomous driving, has been selected by Japan’s government-backed agency NEDO to help develop the country’s digital infrastructure for autonomous transport networks. The initiative aims to connect vehicles, roadside systems, and data platforms into a “digital lifeline” that supports autonomous buses and other AV (autonomous vehicle) services on public roads.
The project responds to rising challenges in Japan’s transport sector—such as labor shortages, depopulation, and an aging workforce—by making autonomous driving safer, more accessible, and more efficient. Key efforts will include creating “service-support roads” where real-time data flows between vehicles and infrastructure (via vehicle-to-network communication), enabling remote supervision of autonomous bus fleets, and bolstering regional transit with sustainable, tech-enabled solutions. TIER IV will leverage its Autoware open-source platform to design and integrate these systems.
The broader aim is to accelerate the rollout of autonomous driving in Japan by creating foundations—both technical and institutional—that make it easier to deploy, manage, and scale AV services across different regions. With this support from NEDO, alongside partnerships in government, academia, and industry, the project could offer a model for autonomous transport networks elsewhere.
Source: PR Newswire
