The round was led by Horizons Ventures, with participation across several extensions from Liteon Technology Corp, Adata, Palpilot, Foxconn and the HH-CTBC Partnership (Foxconn Co-GP Fund). Using these funds, Kneron will look to accelerate the deployment of new, advanced, AI solutions – with a focus on delivering nano GPT solutions for the automotive industry.

Kneron itself provides end-to-end integrated hardware and software solutions that enable on-device edge AI inferencing. In 2021, it launched an edge AI chip supporting transformer neural networks – a technology that underpins GPT models. The company is also developing NPU (neural processing unit) chips that offer qualities that cater to the needs of AI computing. Its latest auto-grade NPU chip, the KL730, supports advanced lightweight GPT LLMs, such as nano GPT, to expand the number of options on the market.

In aiding autonomous driving, Kneron will utilize the funds to support their latest AI chips, which apply transformers that are commonly applied to language processing functions to image-based applications. Here, the chips leverage the capabilities of these transformers to better process time-series and consider image data holistically. Kneron has said that this helps to improve contextualization and processing, while increasing the accuracy of image-based applications by a minimum of 30%.

Alongside its fundraising announcement, Kneron also announced plans to expand its partnership with Foxconn to accelerate the deployment of advanced AI for automotive (and further) applications. Here, the companies are working to develop an ultra-lightweight AI chip that operates GPT models off the cloud.

The firm’s existing investors, KT Investment and Renaissance Asset Management, contributed alongside new investments from InterVest, Shinhan GIB, and Samsung Ventures. The funds raised from the new round will help Phantom AI accelerate the current series production development with major OEMs.

Following the Series C funding, the company confirmed that it has raised a total of $80.2 million (€72.9 million) since its founding in 2017.

Known for its Light Control Metasurface beam steering chips, the start-up secured funding from new investors USAA and Uniquest, while the round itself was led by Samsung Ventures – the tech firm’s investment division. It brings the total amount of funds raised for Lumotive to over $56 million.

The start-up will use the new funding to accelerate the development and delivery of its optical semiconductor devices that will support the development of new LiDAR sensors. Lumotive confirmed that more than 24 companies are currently engaged with it, leveraging its chips to develop new LiDAR systems for future autonomous driving applications.

The sensor uses photonic chips that leverage light, as opposed to the electrons used in conventional LiDARs, to transfer information in microchips. In doing so, the FMCW LiDAR provides added power and affordability, as well as mass production scalability benefits.

These qualities help it support a broad range of use cases, while the sensor itself offers a detection range exceeding 300 meters alongside solid-state scanning capabilities. Ultimately, with its FMCW LiDAR, Scantinel is aiming to provide customers with an alternative to the larger, more expensive, LiDAR solutions that can also prove difficult to manufacture.

Aurora Labs’ AI-based Vehicle Software Intelligence has reinvented how automotive companies, Tier-1 suppliers, silicon vendors and enterprises develop, certify and diagnose software, and conduct over-the-air updates. The company’s solutions are being used by global automotive and device manufacturers to continuously collect actionable data and obtain a deep understanding of line-of-code software behavior. This level of understanding helps the software development teams streamline the processes of development, testing, integration, WP.29 compliance, continuous certification, and on-the-road, zero-downtime, over-the-air (OTA) updating. The solution also keeps software safe and secure from faults and cybersecurity attacks, while allowing manufacturers to continuously add new features and functions extending the life of the device and enhancing user experiences.

Insight into automotive software behavior is crucial as more lines of code from a growing list of entities – Tier 1s, open-source, and automakers themselves – make the software-defined vehicle a reality. Aurora Labs’ AI-based Vehicle Software Intelligence offers significant economic benefits to the auto industry with a clear cost-effective value proposition, saving up to 98% of hardware and data transmission costs for software updates, and up to 30% in software engineering hours saving manufacturers billions of dollars on their bill of materials and data communications costs and enabling recurring revenue streams.

The proceeds raised from the round will also be used to further augment Pony.ai’s hiring, R&D investment, and the global testing of its robotaxi and robotrucking solutions. The company will also look to form new strategic partnerships, and accelerate development toward mass production and mass commercial deployment.

Further details of the Series D financing will be announced at the closing of the full financing round.

The funds will allow the service to launch in new cities across North America and Europe, including several university campuses in the U.S. Some of this funding is immediately going to support people by donating directly to the Red Cross in Ukraine. The new investment, including the recently announced  $57 million (€50 million) investment from the European Investment Bank, brings the company’s total funding to $202 million (€184 million).

Algolux’s computer vision and image optimization solutions address the mission-critical issue of safety for ADAS and autonomous vehicles. Algolux is the first company to use computational imaging to design algorithms that treat the camera as part of the overall perception stack; a bold departure from the traditional siloed approach. This leads to the resolution of harsh cases such as low-light, low contrast, and obstructions for object detection, imaging, and geometric estimation.

In addition, using physical camera models reduces training data needs by an order of magnitude. This results in Algolux technologies outperforming commercial solutions by as much as 60 points in mean average precision (mAP).

LiDAR is considered the key technology for safety of autonomous vehicles. Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR – a bulky abbreviation for a disruptive technology – will help autonomous driving to achieve a breakthrough and, according to experts, will displace the currently used Time of Light (TOF) LiDAR systems from the market.

“The LiDAR market is further consolidating and it’s becoming clearer which technologies and startups will eventually make it to mass production. Here at ZEISS, we are proud that Scantinel is among the ones that succeed in attracting new investors, “explains Gerrit Schulte, Head of ZEISS Ventures.

Scantinel offers unique FMCW LiDAR technology that delivers a new dimension of data to make cars safer and, eventually, autonomous. This new technology makes it possible to measure distances to objects in the plus-300-meter range with a high level of integration, solid state scanning and competitive pricing, which is key for autonomous vehicles.

The purpose of this partnership is to collaborate on hardware and software interfaces for autonomous vehicles, enhancing and integrating Oxbotica’s autonomy software platform into a variety of vehicles. This will be a multi-year collaboration, and the ultimate ambition is to enable Ocado’s partners that use the Ocado Smart Platform (“OSP”) to reduce the costs of last-mile delivery and other logistics operations.

Oxbotica’s two core products are Selenium and Caesium. Selenium is an on-vehicle suite of software that brings full autonomy to a vehicle in a way that is agnostic to both hardware and environment. Caesium is a cloud-based autonomy management system that brings fine-grained control, audit, data management and monitoring to autonomous fleets. Oxbotica’s products use an advanced set of AI, machine learning and optimisation technologies to yield a low-power, safe, explainable, quick-to-deploy, modular and completely flexible “Universal Autonomy” platform.

Ocado will build teams of engineers within its existing Advanced Technology division to work with Oxbotica on these diverse use cases. The Advanced Technology division is independent from the engineering team that develops core OSP software and automation. The initial development work will focus on UK operations, and will then extend to international markets where Ocado’s partners operate.

For both regulatory and complexity reasons, Ocado expects that the development of vehicles that operate in low-speed urban areas or in restricted access areas, such as inside its CFC buildings or within its CFC yards, may become a reality sooner than fully-autonomous deliveries to consumers’ homes. However, all aspects of autonomous vehicle development will be within the scope of this collaboration. Ocado expects to see the first prototypes of some early use cases for autonomous vehicles within two years.

In addition to this collaboration with Oxbotica, Ocado continues to seek further investments and/or partnerships as it grows and develops its autonomous vehicle capabilities.

Main Transaction Terms

Ocado will invest £10m in Oxbotica as part of Oxbotica’s latest Series B equity funding round. The round was led by bp ventures, and included other strategic and financial investors in the U.S., the U.K., China and Australia, such as Tencent, Halma, BGF, HostPlus, IP Group, Venture Science, and funds advised by Doxa Partners. Ocado will take a seat on Oxbotica’s board.

As part of this collaboration, Ocado will outfit a subset of its delivery vans and warehouse vehicles with data capture capabilities, which may include video cameras, LiDAR, RADAR and other sensing devices. Ocado will make this data available to Oxbotica to train and test its technologies, which will then inform Ocado as to what opportunities exist and where best it might take advantage of these exciting new partnerships.

The additional funds will enable Plus to further expand its global operations and commercial deployment plans across the U.S., China, Europe and other parts of Asia for its driver-in autonomous driving solution, PlusDrive. The company is in the final stages of certifying PlusDrive for commercial operation in China.

Mass production for the PlusDrive-powered automated truck jointly developed with FAW, the world’s largest heavy truck maker, is set to start this summer. Plus is working with some of the largest fleets in the U.S. and China, such as SF Express, China’s largest logistics company, to pilot commercial freight operations. Truck makers and fleet partners recognize the multitude of benefits delivered by PlusDrive in terms of improved safety, efficiency, comfort, and sustainability.

Through a proprietary ultra-wide band radar, WaveSense creates a map of subsurface signatures from which self-driving and other ADAS-enabled vehicles can navigate. Through unique design in hardware, software, and systems, WaveSense’s GPR technology allows vehicles to localize and determine their precise location where current AV technologies, including lidar and camera-based systems, fall flat—especially when lane markings are poor, in adverse weather and terrain conditions, and in areas with poor GPS availability.

WaveSense plans to advance the integration of their centimeter-level precision technology into consumer vehicles in collaboration with some of the world’s largest automakers and suppliers. The company recently demonstrated centimeter level localization accuracy and reliability on roads without lane markings, during a snowstorm, in a parking garage, and on unpaved terrain.

The company’s fleet of light and medium duty trucks transports goods on behalf of Fortune 500 retailers, enhancing operational capacity, reducing costs and keeping delivery times short. The Ontario government is helping Gatik winterize its proprietary autonomous driving technology, and accelerate R&D efforts to test, measure and demonstrate the operational efficiencies generated by autonomous delivery adoption.

Having recently moved into a world-class, 12,000 square foot research facility in the west-end of Toronto, Gatik has laid down firm roots in Ontario’s tech ecosystem. Over the past 12 months its team size has doubled and the company expects staff numbers to double again this year. Gatik’s partnership with AVIN is helping the company attract and retain Ontario’s finest engineering talent and create significant long-term economic opportunities in the province.

Led by CEO and co-Founder, Daniel ES Kim, AUTOCRYPT has garnered the attention of the automotive industry, providing end-to-end vehicle security for connected and autonomous vehicles and surrounding infrastructure. The company currently secures all smart roadways and highways in South Korea, totaling over 5000 kilometers.

Due to a rising demand in autonomous and electric vehicle security technology, AUTOCRYPT also announced the opening of its North American office, located in Toronto, Canada. The new branch will allow for AUTOCRYPT’s V2X and Plug&Charge security solutions to be more widely accessible to testbeds, OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and automotive software or service providers located in North America. The company is currently in talks with potential partners in the region and plans to begin active business operations in Q2. With its offices now in South Korea, China, Japan and Canada, AUTOCRYPT is also planning to expand into the United States and Europe in 2021.

Though the company is only releasing samples for evaluation, Zadar has already made impressive progress in reducing the cost of advanced radar. Production units are expected in the low hundreds of dollars with continued reductions as volumes increase. This price efficiency is essential to scaling robotic technologies such as autonomous driving into the mainstream.

Zadar has already released their mid-range sensor, zSIGNAL, reaching 250 meter range. The sensor is currently under evaluation by several customers in the autonomous vehicle space. Zadar is looking to further support customers in 2021 through the launch of their long-range sensor, zPRIME. The new platform will be capable of 400 meter range with resolution comparable to LiDAR.

Zadar was founded in 2019 by a pair of autonomous vehicle veterans, Mahmoud Saadat and Mo Emadi, after the two met while working at Lyft Level 5, the ride-share company’s autonomous division. CEO Saadat is a Zoox alum as well as Stanford Engineering PhD. CTO Emadi is a leader in the radar industry and led many top projects at Qualcomm before joining Lyft.

The Complete Trip – ITS4US Deployment Program received 24 eligible proposals by organizations from 15 states. The winning teams and projects are:

• California Association of Coordinated Transportation (CALACT)
  • Location: California, Oregon, and Washington
  • Project: Plan, Book, and Pay for Demand-responsive Transit Agencies in CA, OR, or WA
  • Award: $5,311,000
• Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC)
  • Location: Gwinnet County, Georgia
  • Project: Safe Trips in Connected Transportation Network
  • Award: $9,388,404
• Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HITRA)
  • Location: Dallas County, Iowa
  • Project: Health Connector for the Most Vulnerable: An Inclusive Mobility Experience from Beginning to End
  • Award: $3,956,806
• University of Washington
  • Location: Baltimore, Maryland, Portland, Oregon, Bellevue, Washington
  • Project: Accessible Mapping Standards and Data Collaboration Drive Accessible Multimodal Active Transportation and Mobility
  • Award: $11,459,000
• ICF International, Inc.
  • Location: Buffalo, New York
  • Project: Complete Trip Deployment in Buffalo, NY
  • Award: $8,235,661

The Inclusive Design Challenge received 47 eligible applications from industry, academic institutions, and individuals representing 21 states. The winning teams and projects are:

• Waymo
  • Location: Mountain View, California
  • Project: AV Wayfinding
  • Award: $300,000
• AbleLink Smart Living Technologies
  • Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Project: WayFinder ADS
  • Award: $300,000
• Foresight Augmented Reality LLC
  • Location: Atlanta, Georgia
  • Project: Accessibility for Sensory Disabilities and Aging Populations Traveling on Automated Vehicles
  • Award: $300,000
• Purdue University
  • Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
  • Project: Efficient, Accessible and Safe Interaction in a Real Integrated Design Environment for Riders with disabilities (EASI RIDER)
  • Award: $300,000
• University of Kansas
  • Location: Lawrence, Kansas
  • Project: Optimizing Highly Automated Driving Systems for People with Cognitive Disabilities
  • Award: $300,000
• University of Maine 
  • Location: Orono, Maine
  • Project: Autonomous Vehicle Assistant (Ava): Ride-hailing and localization for the future of accessible mobility
  • Award: $300,000
• Boston University
  • Location: Boston, Massachusetts
  • Project: OpenGuide: A Scalable Human-Like Guidance System for Visually Impaired Travelers
  • Award: $300,000
• May Mobility
  • Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Project: Independent Safety for Wheelchair Users in AVs
  • Award: $300,000
• Carnegie Mellon University – Human-Computer Interaction Institute
  • Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Project: Promoting personal control of AVs through inclusive smartphone communication interfaces
  • Award: $300,000
• Clemson University
  • Location: Clemson, South Carolina
  • Project: Accessible Technology Leverage for Autonomous vehicles System: ATLAS II
  • Award: $300,000

Under the terms of the agreement, Sylebra, a current holder of InterPrivate common stock, has committed to purchase an additional $200 million of InterPrivate common stock in connection with the expected closing of the business combination.

Sylebra has also entered into a one-year lock-up agreement on the majority of its investment, and will vote all eligible shares in favor of the transaction.  The investment significantly exceeds the minimum cash requirement contemplated by the business combination agreement, paving the way for the completion of the transaction in Q1 2021. 

The global investors in the round include BGF, bp ventures, Halma, HostPlus, IP Group,Tencent, Venture Science, and funds advised by Doxa Partners. With financial and strategic investors in Australia, China, UK and the USA, Oxbotica is placed at the centre of a global autonomy ecosystem.

Oxbotica was founded in 2014 by Oxford University professors, Paul Newman and Ingmar Posner.

FM Capital led the investment round with new investors including Proeza Ventures, Blue 9 Capital, Tsingyuan Ventures and Intact Ventures. Lunewave is also funded through National Science Foundation grants.

The 3D printed Luneburg lens – now its third version in less than three years — offers broad bandwidth, high gain and capability of forming multiple high-quality beams in all directions.

Lunewave radar offers a 180-degree field of view in the azimuth (horizontal) plane and can detect objects surrounding a car with six times the resolution available today, even at long range and in poor weather, capabilities that are normally only achievable with multiple sensors.

New board members
Former BMW executive Peter Schwarzenbacher and Tier 1 supplier executive, James Zizelman, joined Lunewave’s board of directors. Schwarzenbacher is the former president and CEO of Porshe and most recently served on BMW’s board of directors. Zizelman is currently the president of Stoneridge Control Devices and the former vice president of engineering for Aptiv. 

For more information, please see Lunewave’s technology in action here Lunewave Product Video

The company designs and engineers electric self-driving road vehicles that transport goods instead of people. Nuro built its second generation vehicle, R2, to autonomously deliver a wide range of goods – prepared food, groceries, medicine, and retail products – safely and securely.

This fundraising round comes on the heels of multiple significant advancements since Nuro last raised $940M in February 2019 for its Series B. These include the first and only federal exemption for an autonomous vehicle granted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); expanding its partnerships with some of the world’s most respected household brands, including Domino’s, Walmart, Kroger and CVS; and achieving a first of its kind milestone, operating R2 fully autonomously on public roads in three different states – California, Texas, and Arizona – with no drivers, no occupants, and no chase cars.

This significant capital injection, combined with strong results across all aspects of its business, demonstrates Nuro’s position as a leader in autonomous goods delivery, and is a meaningful step towards achieving its vision of accelerating the benefits of robotics for everyday life.