Volkswagen has reportedly selected Wayve as its new technology partner for autonomous driving. According to a report by the mirrorAccording to three sources, the British startup emerged victorious in an internal selection process against Nvidia and other suppliers.
According to the report, a few weeks ago Volkswagen tested several systems against each other in a major city in southern Germany. Wayve reportedly impressed both technically and financially. Volkswagen, its IT subsidiary Cariad and Wayve declined to comment to media representatives.
Time is of the essence for the Group. Driver assistance systems are increasingly becoming a competitive factor, especially in the premium segment. VW subsidiary Audi, for example, is under pressure in the field of automated driving functions compared directly to Mercedes and BMW. Tesla also relies on a highly data-driven software architecture with its FSD system.
Like Tesla, Wayve is pursuing an end-to-end approach, where AI derives driving decisions as directly as possible from large volumes of sensor data, rather than relying primarily on predefined rules. During a test drive, an Audi A6 e-tron equipped with Wayve software reportedly recognized that an oncoming vehicle had given up its right of way with a flash of its headlights and subsequently maneuvered independently into a parking space, according to spiegel.
Volkswagen integrates Wayve into its software strategy
The possible collaboration with Wayve follows the end of the Automated Driving Alliance between Cariad and Bosch. The alliance had developed an AI-based Level 2 system, which Volkswagen intends to continue using, including the planned ID.EVERY1. However, to continue moving towards higher levels of automation, the group sought a new partner. Wayve had already been considered a potential candidate in the summer.
For Cariad, the choice of the British startup is initially positive. Wayve is expected to primarily provide the AI software, which Cariad would then integrate into its existing technical architecture, including sensors, computing hardware and other software components.
With Nvidia, the division of roles would apparently have been different. The American company is said to have offered Volkswagen a complete system, which could have put a significant part of the approximately 1,200 employees of Cariad’s autonomous driving division out of work. However, Nvidia is not necessarily out of the race. The chipmaker has a stake in Wayve and supplies computer hardware for the startup’s autonomous driving projects. It is not yet clear what hardware Volkswagen will ultimately use.
The decision to partner with Wayve could also affect Volkswagen’s robotaxi activities. The Group has been looking for an external investor for MOIA for a long time, but has so far apparently been unsuccessful. Recently, there has been consideration of involving a technology partner such as Wayve or Nvidia not only in Cariad but also in MOIA. This could allow Volkswagen to more closely technologically align its passenger vehicle assistance systems and its Level 4 robotaxi business.
At the same time, Cariad will continue to shrink. The software subsidiary will improve its operating result by 400 million euros and reduce its investments by around 6.1 billion euros over the next five years. Cariad CEO Peter Bosch has also announced the elimination of around 1,000 of the more than 4,000 current jobs. The distribution of tasks within the Group also continues to change. Volkswagen is developing the next generation of software-defined electric cars together with Rivian. Cariad will focus more on select technology areas in the future, including infotainment and autonomous driving.
It is not yet clear how the budget, staff and responsibilities will be distributed between Cariad and Audi in the future. According to the report, a final contract with Wayve has not yet been signed. Initially, Audi’s procurement department will negotiate the conditions with the British startup.
spiegel.de (link in German)
