Why Toyota See NTT Solutions as Key to Making Cars Safer
As urban centres grapple with the relentless challenges of traffic congestion and road safety, the automotive and technology sectors are increasingly collaborating to devise innovative solutions.
Such a trend is not merely a response to growing concerns; it represents a significant shift in how we envision transportation in the future.
One partnership might be giving contours to that future. Japan's leading car manufacturer Toyota and telecommunications giant NTT have embarked on a joint initiative that aims to harness the power of AI to create a comprehensive mobility platform that promises to revolutionise road safety.
The crux of the collaboration
At the heart of this partnership lies the integration of AI into transportation systems.
Autonomous vehicles generate vast amounts of data from various sensors—LiDAR, radar, cameras—all of which require sophisticated processing capabilities to ensure real
Yet the future of transportation is not just about building better cars; it's about creating an intelligent ecosystem where vehicles, infrastructure, and data work in harmony to ensure safety and efficiency.
NTT, a provider of network and data centre solutions, is able to facilitate this. Toyota and NTT have pledged a staggering 500 billion yen (US$3.3bn) investment towards developing their mobility AI platform by 2030.
This substantial financial commitment underscores the importance both companies place on creating a society with zero traffic accidents. The joint initiative will focus on developing AI-based autonomous driving technology, with the aim of standardising requirements for safe and secure mobility services.
The platform's ambitious goal is to anticipate accidents before they occur and take control of vehicles to avoid collisions. This proactive approach to road safety represents a significant advancement in autonomous driving technology, moving beyond reactive systems to predictive and preventative measures.
The underpinning technology
At the heart of this revolutionary platform lies data centres and networks. These facilities serve as the cognitive powerhouses of fully autonomous vehicles, processing vast amounts of data in real-time to enable split-second decision-making.
"Transmitting large amounts of data will be crucial as software-defined vehicles become more common,” says Koji Sato, Toyota's Chief Executive Officer.
NTT's expertise in telecommunications will be instrumental in building the necessary infrastructure for the platform. This includes high-speed, high-quality communication networks, AI infrastructure for processing vast amounts of data, and computing infrastructure.
The mobility AI platform rests on three key components that showcase the synergy between automotive technology and data centre capabilities:
Distributed Computing Platform: A network of strategically located data centres will analyse and process enormous volumes of data using AI. This system utilises NTT's IOWN optical communication technology for efficient data transfer, while also promoting sustainable energy use by positioning centres in areas with abundant renewable energy sources.
Intelligent Communication Infrastructure: This comprehensive system is designed to facilitate seamless communication across various traffic environments, including urban, rural, and suburban areas. It ensures highly reliable, low-latency communication for large data volumes, essential for real-time decision-making in autonomous vehicles.
AI Infrastructure: This advanced platform leverages the distributed computing and intelligent communication infrastructures to create a mobility AI system. It continuously learns from and makes inferences based on diverse data inputs from the human mobility infrastructure, enhancing its ability to improve road safety.
The road ahead
Work on this groundbreaking project is set to begin in 2025, with the goal of initiating collaborations with various partners by 2028.
The companies are targeting widespread adoption of the technology from 2030 onwards, signaling a long-term commitment to transforming road safety on a global scale.
As this project unfolds, it will be closely watched by industry stakeholders and policymakers worldwide. The potential for AI-driven, connected vehicle technology to dramatically reduce road accidents could have far-reaching implications for urban planning, public health, and the future of transportation.
Collaboration between Toyota and NTT represents a paradigm shift in our approach to road safety. By harnessing the power of AI and data centres, these industry giants are paving the way for a future where traffic accidents could become obsolete.
As we stand on the brink of this transportation revolution, one thing is clear: the road to safer mobility is being built not just on asphalt, but on data and artificial intelligence.
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