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

The company's new software stacks aim to expand operational design domains for autonomous vehicles through collaborations in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Munich.

Mar. 20, 2026 at 6:06am

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TIER IV, the pioneering force behind open-source software for autonomous driving, has developed software stacks for Level 4 autonomous driving powered by data-centric AI. Publicly available via Autoware, the newly developed software stacks aim to expand operational design domains. TIER IV is launching driving tests of Level 4 autonomous driving features in regions with distinct traffic characteristics, utilizing different vehicles, SoCs and sensor suites, in collaboration with universities in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Munich.

Why it matters

TIER IV's initiative to develop and test AI-based Level 4 autonomous driving software through the open-source Autoware ecosystem represents a significant step forward in making autonomous vehicles more practical and accessible. By collaborating with academic and industry partners globally, TIER IV aims to establish AI-based Level 4 autonomous driving as an industry standard, lowering the barrier for diverse partners to contribute to the technology's advancement.

The details

TIER IV's newly published data-centric AI technology is the core component supporting its Level 4+ initiative, which envisions the gradual expansion of fully autonomous driving into more complex environments. The software stacks are available on GitHub within the Autoware repositories and can be selected from two systems - a hybrid system using diffusion models and perception AI, and an end-to-end system integrating perception, planning and control. TIER IV's MLOps platform handles data-quality validation, anonymization, tagging and annotation to support the development of these AI models.

  • TIER IV launched its Level 4+ initiative in March 2026.
  • The company released its data-centric AI technology and software stacks in March 2026.
  • TIER IV is commencing testing of Level 4 autonomous driving features in Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Munich in 2026.

The players

TIER IV

A pioneering force behind open-source software for autonomous driving, TIER IV has developed software stacks for Level 4 autonomous driving powered by data-centric AI.

Autoware Foundation

A global foundation where researchers, corporations and developers collaborate to advance autonomous driving software, of which TIER IV is a key partner.

University of Tokyo

A collaborator with TIER IV on testing Level 4 autonomous driving features in Tokyo using Toyota JPN TAXI vehicles.

Carnegie Mellon University

A collaborator with TIER IV on testing Level 4 autonomous driving features in Pittsburgh using Hyundai IONIQ 5 vehicles.

Technical University of Munich

A collaborator with TIER IV on testing Level 4 autonomous driving features 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

Through an international framework built on the open-source Autoware ecosystem, TIER IV is committed to driving the deployment and sustainable evolution of Level 4 autonomous driving by continuously improving AI model performance using large-scale driving data and various MLOps capabilities.

The takeaway

TIER IV's initiative to develop and test AI-based Level 4 autonomous driving software through the open-source Autoware ecosystem represents a significant step forward in making autonomous vehicles more practical and accessible globally. By collaborating with academic and industry partners, TIER IV aims to establish AI-based Level 4 autonomous driving as an industry standard, lowering the barrier for diverse partners to contribute to the technology's advancement.