TIER IV Releases Reference Design for Autonomous Racing Karts
Technology firm TIER IV has developed and released a reference design for autonomous racing kart systems. The design, built on the company's open-source Autoware software, provides a common platform for development and testing.
TIER IV, a company focused on open-source autonomous driving software, has released a reference design for autonomous racing kart systems. The software and design information are publicly available on GitHub.
The reference design is built on Autoware, an open-source autonomous driving platform, and includes an environment that supports development and evaluation, from simulation to real-world vehicle testing. This aims to lower the barrier to entry for developers in the autonomous driving field by providing a standardized starting point.
The design served as a common development platform for 240 teams, comprising approximately 600 participants, in the Autonomous Driving AI Challenge. Organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE), the competition ran from July to September 2026, with the goal of fostering open technology development and educating future engineers.
TIER IV's broader objective is to democratize autonomous driving by expanding the Autoware open-source ecosystem globally. The company plans to continue offering additional reference designs and enhancing development and evaluation environments through open-source collaboration.