To enhance the international competitiveness of Taiwan's smart vehicle industry, Dr. Cheng Hung Cho, President of the Institute for Information Industry (III), led professional teams from the III's Software Technology Institute (STI), Digital Transformation Research Institute (DTRI), and Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) to visit Japan's autonomous driving software system developer Tier IV on September 9. Additionally, the delegation paid a visit to the Autoware Foundation (AWF), an international organization co-founded by Tier IV and industry leaders to promote open-source software for autonomous vehicles. Experts from both Taiwan and Japan engaged in discussions on two key topics: AI perception evaluation for smart driving software and the digital transformation of Japan's software-defined vehicle industry. Moving forward, the experts aim to collaborate on developing testing grounds for smart driving technology, leveraging generative AI technology and driving environments in both Taiwan and Japan to promote the digital transformation of the global automotive industry.
Henry, I-Heng Meng, Senior Vice President and Director General of the Software Technology Institute at III, shared that the trip to Japan was highly beneficial in terms of idea exchanging. Tier IV CEO Shinpei Kato and III's technical team both agreed that generative AI will become a key technology for advancing the development and validation of autonomous driving. As such, Taiwan and Japan can leverage their unique driving scenarios and climate conditions as open testing environments to address the challenges of developing and testing autonomous driving technologies across different countries. This cooperation will not only focus on the research and development of forward-looking trends in international smart driving, but also lead Taiwan's software industry to participate in the Japanese automobile industry chain, creating more cooperation opportunities. This cooperation not only focuses on the research and development of international smart driving technology that is in line with forward-looking trends, but can also lead Taiwan's enterprises in the software industry to participate in the Japanese automobile industry supply chain and create more opportunities.
Tier IV, a leading Japanese company in autonomous driving software development, offers comprehensive and high-value-added information software systems, and also provides integrated solutions for autonomous driving software systems from a system integration perspective, such as planning, execution and other services. The company has successfully deployed autonomous bus, taxi, and factory unmanned vehicle services in various prefectures across Japan, demonstrating its capabilities in real-world applications.
The Institute for Information Industry (III) has been deeply engaged in smart transportation technology for many years. Leveraging the “Formosa Dataset”, a deep learning database of Taiwan’s street views, developed by the Software Technology Institute (STI), III established Taiwan's first vehicle software testing unit—the Formosa Automobility Intelligence Trustworthy Hub (FAITH). This center provides testing mechanisms and scenarios for "AI perception," "resilient communication," and "information security," serving as a crucial foundation for developing a safe and trustworthy mobility environment, which contributes to the establishment of a reliable environment for Taiwan's smart vehicles.
III's President, Cheng Hung Cho, further pointed out that in recent years, III has developed third-party services to support Taiwan’s digital development policies and help build a healthy industrial digital ecosystem. This effort aims to address pain points such as the lack of industry standards and regulations, AI challenges, communication data security, cybersecurity services, and the need for technical consultation.
The idea exchange with Tier IV not only seeks to develop smart driving technology testing grounds but also aims to combine strengths to co-develop a bilateral autonomous driving ecosystem framework. III and Tier IV will serve as leading institutions, discussing collaborative development projects, with the possibility of co-hosting an international symposium in early 2025 to present precise and forward-looking trend analyses for the smart driving industry.