TIER IV unveils AI-based Level 4 autonomous driving, accelerating global platform expansion

The company is launching testing in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Munich to validate its new data-centric AI technology for Level 4 autonomous driving.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 1:40am

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TIER IV, the open-source autonomous driving software company, has developed new AI-powered software stacks for Level 4 autonomous driving. The company is launching testing collaborations in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Munich to validate the effectiveness of its data-centric AI technology across diverse driving environments. TIER IV aims to establish AI-based Level 4 autonomous driving as an industry standard through its open-source Autoware platform and partnerships with academia and industry.

Why it matters

TIER IV's new AI-based autonomous driving technology represents a significant step forward in making Level 4 autonomy a practical reality. By testing across different regions, the company can validate its models in a variety of traffic conditions and refine the software to work seamlessly in complex urban environments. This open, collaborative approach to autonomous driving development could accelerate the deployment of self-driving vehicles and make the technology more accessible.

The details

TIER IV's new software stacks for Level 4 autonomous driving are based on two main architectures: a hybrid system that combines perception AI and planning AI, and an end-to-end (E2E) system that integrates perception, planning, and control. Both leverage data-centric AI techniques to improve performance. To validate the technology, TIER IV is launching 60-minute autonomous driving tests in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Munich, using different vehicles, sensors, and SoCs. The tests will be conducted with safety drivers on board but no manual intervention expected under normal conditions.

  • The new software stacks were developed and released in March 2026.
  • TIER IV is launching the autonomous driving tests in the second quarter of 2026.

The players

TIER IV

A pioneering force behind open-source software for autonomous driving, developing platforms and services around the Autoware ecosystem.

Autoware Foundation

A non-profit organization that oversees the development of the open-source Autoware software for autonomous driving.

University of Tokyo

A collaborator with TIER IV on autonomous driving tests in Tokyo using Toyota JPN TAXI vehicles.

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

A collaborator with TIER IV on autonomous driving tests in Pittsburgh using Hyundai IONIQ 5 vehicles.

Technical University of Munich

A collaborator with TIER IV on autonomous driving tests in Munich using Volkswagen T7 Multivan vehicles.

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What they’re saying

“To achieve Level 4+ autonomy, we need technology that evolves autonomously alongside the environments it serves. Our new data-centric AI models and collaborative MLOps platform provide a common language and a shared foundation for the entire industry.”

— Shinpei Kato, Founder and CEO of TIER IV

“Autoware serves as the global foundation where researchers, corporations and developers collaborate to advance autonomous driving software. Our collaboration with TIER IV strengthens the international framework for validating and refining E2E autonomous driving through real-world deployment.”

— Yang Zhang, Chairman of the Autoware Foundation's board of directors

“The release of these software stacks and MLOps platform is a vital step toward deploying advanced AI models in industrial applications. By accumulating data from Japan's distinctive traffic environments through our Tokyo testing and contributing those insights back to Autoware, we aim to further bridge the gap between academic research and real-world deployment.”

— Yutaka Matsuo, Professor at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Engineering

“Autoware is a foundational technology for shaping the Level 4+ autonomy concept. Our Pittsburgh testing will validate the effectiveness of this technology under unique urban traffic conditions. It is essential for the global advancement of autonomous driving that academia and industry continue to collaborate and share results through the Autoware ecosystem.”

— Raj Rajkumar, George Westinghouse Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

“This initiative provides a valuable opportunity to evaluate technologies at the Level 4 autonomous driving standard within European urban environments and verify their effectiveness from multiple perspectives. We expect that this framework—improving AI models using region-specific datasets through Autoware-based collaboration—will significantly contribute to the development of highly practical autonomous technology.”

— Johannes Betz, Professor of Autonomous Vehicle Systems at the Technical University of Munich

What’s next

TIER IV aims to continue refining its AI models and expanding the operational design domains for its Level 4 autonomous driving technology through the ongoing collaborations and testing in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Munich.

The takeaway

TIER IV's open, collaborative approach to developing AI-powered Level 4 autonomous driving technology represents a significant step forward in making self-driving vehicles a practical reality. By testing across diverse global environments and continuously improving the software through the Autoware ecosystem, the company is working to establish a common foundation for the entire industry to advance autonomous driving capabilities.