TIER IV and Technical University of Munich establish research center for autonomous driving

TIER IV, the developer of the open-source autonomous driving software Autoware, and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have established the TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV. This multi-year strategic research collaboration aims to advance safe and scalable autonomous driving systems based on Autoware and strengthen TUM's role as a European contributor to the Autoware community. The initiative seeks to accelerate the transfer of research into real-world mobility applications.

The collaboration addresses the growing importance of open-source software in Europe's automotive industry as vehicles become more autonomous and software-defined. TUM has previously showcased its commitment through its autonomous research vehicle, EDGAR, which runs on Autoware. EDGAR has demonstrated autonomous capabilities in various environments, including public demonstration rides at IAA MOBILITY.

The research center will focus on three key areas: safety, evaluation, and scalability. Safety efforts will concentrate on developing a hybrid architecture combining deep-learning-based driving models with rule-based supervision for verifiable safety. Evaluation will involve creating a framework for testing components and systems across simulation, offline analysis, and real-world operations. Scalability work aims to establish a repeatable process for adapting and evaluating Autoware in new environments, contributing improvements back to open-source projects.

TIER IV and TUM anticipate this initiative will serve as a foundation for expanding the open autonomous driving ecosystem in Germany and Europe. The goal is to provide European vehicle manufacturers with technologies and evaluation methods that support the development of safe, scalable, and commercially viable autonomous driving systems for both public and private use.