{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"169813","rtpr_id":"nPn113Jzra-20261015","ticker":"593A","exchange":"TSE Tokyo","all_tickers":["593A"],"title":"TIER IV and Technical University of Munich establish Autoware research center to advance the open autonomous driving ecosystem","author":"PR Newswire","published_at":"2026-10-15T07:00:01.848Z","article_body":"TIER IV and Technical University of Munich establish Autoware research center to advance the open autonomous driving ecosystem\nPR Newswire\n\nTOKYO and MUNICH, Oct. 15, 2026\n\nTOKYO and MUNICH, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TIER IV\n(https://tier4.co.jp/en/) , the pioneering force behind\n(https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware) Autoware\n(https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware) , the world's leading\nopen-source software for autonomous driving, and the Technical University of\nMunich (https://www.tum.de/) (TUM) have established the TUM Autoware Research\nCenter by TIER IV through a multi-year strategic research collaboration.\nBringing together three TUM research groups, the initiative aims to advance\nsafe and scalable autonomous driving systems based on Autoware, strengthen\nTUM's role as a leading contributor to the Autoware community in Europe, and\naccelerate the transfer of research into real-world mobility applications.\n\nBackground\n\nAs vehicles become more autonomous, connected and software-defined,\nopen-source software is becoming increasingly important to Europe's automotive\nindustry. The European Commission's concept paper on an open European\nsoftware-defined vehicle platform\n(https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/concept-paper-open-european-software-defined-vehicle-platform)\nidentifies a strong open-source strategy, reference implementations,\nstandardized software components and shared validation tools as key\nfoundations for European collaboration and competitiveness.\n\nTUM has demonstrated this approach through EDGAR\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/ftm/main-research/intelligent-vehicle-systems/edgar/)\n, its autonomous research vehicle running the open-source Autoware. At IAA\nMOBILITY 2025\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/avs/news/article/iaa-mobility-2025/) , EDGAR\noffered public demonstration rides from Messe München to downtown\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/ftm/news/article/ftm-at-iaa-mobility-2025-autonomous-ride-with-edgar-from-the-fairgrounds-into-downtown-munich/)\nacross urban, rural and highway environments, showcasing how open-source\nsoftware, research and engineering can be integrated and evaluated under\nvaried real-world traffic conditions.\n\nTUM has also demonstrated the rapid adaptation to a new city\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/mos/about-us/news-events/article/edgar-drives-autonomously-through-berlin-mitte-with-a-state-secretary-and-the-tuev-nord-chairman-on-board/)\n. Within a week, the TUM team successfully deployed EDGAR and demonstrated\nautonomous operation on the urban roads of Berlin. This demonstration, in\ncollaboration with TÜV-Verband, tested a new assessment methodology for Level\n4 autonomous driving under real-world traffic conditions for the German\ngovernment.\n\nCollaboration overview\n\nThrough strategic research funding from TIER IV, the TUM Autoware Research\nCenter by TIER IV will bring together expertise from TUM research groups at\nthe Chair of Automotive Technology (FTM), the Professorships of Cyber Physical\nSystems (CPS) and Autonomous Vehicle Systems (AVS). The center will serve as a\nlong-term base for autonomous driving research, open-source software\ndevelopment and doctoral training. It will also connect academic, industrial\nand public-transport projects and provide a platform for demonstrations and\nbenchmark challenges.\n\nThe collaboration will focus on three areas:\n\n * Safety: Developing a hybrid architecture that combines deep-learning-based\ndriving models with rule-based supervision. A verifiable \"safety guardian\"\nwill monitor driving behavior and intervene when necessary based on defined\nsafety constraints.\n * Evaluation: Creating a benchmarking and verification framework for component-\nand system-level testing across simulation, offline analysis and real-world\noperation, building on TUM's EDGAR research platform and CommonRoad expertise.\n * Scalability: Establishing a repeatable process for adapting and evaluating\nAutoware in new environments, with improvements contributed to open-source\nprojects wherever appropriate.\nFuture prospects\n\nTIER IV and TUM intend the initiative to provide a foundation for expanding\nthe open autonomous driving ecosystem in Germany and across Europe, connecting\nacademic research, industrial development and public-transport projects. The\ncollaboration aims to provide European vehicle manufacturers with technologies\nand evaluation methods that support the development of open, safe, scalable,\nand product-oriented autonomous driving systems. Open software, shared\nevaluation methods and visible demonstrations will give organizations a common\nplatform on which to test technologies, develop talent and advance autonomous\nmobility toward commercial and public use.\n\nSupporting quotes\n\n\"Safe autonomous driving at scale requires progress across AI, system\narchitecture, verification and deployment,\" said Shinpei Kato, founder and CEO\nof TIER IV. \"By combining TUM's research capabilities with TIER IV's\nexperience in developing and deploying Autoware, we aim to create technologies\nand open benchmarks that benefit the broader autonomous driving ecosystem.\nThis collaboration also marks an important step toward advancing the open\nautonomous driving ecosystem in Europe, providing OEM manufacturers with\ntechnologies and evaluation methods that support the development of safe and\nscalable autonomous driving systems.\"\n\n\"At TUM, we are combining learning-based methods with traditional rule-based\nsystems to make autonomous systems that can scale but are also verifiably\nsafe, and actually deploying them in the real world. Our autonomous research\nplatform EDGAR is built upon the open-source software stack Autoware, which\nprovides a great baseline for autonomous driving research and education,\" said\nJohannes Betz, Professor of Autonomous Vehicle Systems, TUM.\n\nAbout the Technical University of Munich\n\nThe Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the world's leading\nuniversities in terms of research, teaching and innovation, with around 700\nprofessorships, 52,000 students and 13,000 staff. TUM's range of subjects\nincludes computer sciences, engineering, natural and life sciences, medicine,\neconomics and social sciences. As an entrepreneurial university, TUM envisages\nitself as a global hub of knowledge exchange, open to society. Every year,\naround 100 start-ups are founded at TUM, which acts as a key player in\nMunich's high-tech ecosystem. The university is represented around the world\nby its TUM Asia campus in Singapore along with offices in Beijing, Brussels,\nMumbai, San Francisco, São Paulo and Shenzhen. Nobel Prize laureates and\ninventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde and Rudolf Mößbauer have\nconducted research at TUM, which was awarded the title of University of\nExcellence in 2006, 2012, 2019 and 2026. International rankings regularly cite\nTUM as the best university in the European Union.\n\nAbout TIER IV\n\nTIER IV stands at the forefront of deep tech innovation, pioneering Autoware,\nopen-source software for autonomous driving. With a comprehensive suite of\nplatforms and services built around Autoware, TIER IV provides everything from\nsoftware development and vehicle procurement to operational support. Through\nthe Autoware ecosystem, TIER IV works with partners worldwide to shape the\nfuture of intelligent vehicles with open-source software, aiming to create\nmobility that is safer, more sustainable, and accessible to all.\n\nMedia contacts\n\nTIER IV\npr@tier4.jp (mailto:pr@tier4.jp)\n\nTechnical University of Munich\nPR contact\nMr. Moritz Müller mo.mueller@tum.de (mailto:mo.mueller@tum.de)\n\n*Autoware is a registered trademark of the Autoware Foundation.\n(https://autoware.org/)\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tier-iv-and-technical-university-of-munich-establish-autoware-research-center-to-advance-the-open-autonomous-driving-ecosystem-302908641.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tier-iv-and-technical-university-of-munich-establish-autoware-research-center-to-advance-the-open-autonomous-driving-ecosystem-302908641.html)\n\nSOURCE TIER IV, Inc.\n\n\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS1463639/TIERIV-Logo-Logo.jpg?id=OA3018538\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nPn113Jzra-20261015","title":"TIER IV and Technical University of Munich establish Autoware research center to advance the open autonomous driving ecosystem","author":"PR Newswire","ticker":"593A","created":"2026-10-15T07:00:01.848Z","tickers":["593A"],"exchange":"TSE Tokyo","article_body":"TIER IV and Technical University of Munich establish Autoware research center to advance the open autonomous driving ecosystem\nPR Newswire\n\nTOKYO and MUNICH, Oct. 15, 2026\n\nTOKYO and MUNICH, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TIER IV\n(https://tier4.co.jp/en/) , the pioneering force behind\n(https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware) Autoware\n(https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware) , the world's leading\nopen-source software for autonomous driving, and the Technical University of\nMunich (https://www.tum.de/) (TUM) have established the TUM Autoware Research\nCenter by TIER IV through a multi-year strategic research collaboration.\nBringing together three TUM research groups, the initiative aims to advance\nsafe and scalable autonomous driving systems based on Autoware, strengthen\nTUM's role as a leading contributor to the Autoware community in Europe, and\naccelerate the transfer of research into real-world mobility applications.\n\nBackground\n\nAs vehicles become more autonomous, connected and software-defined,\nopen-source software is becoming increasingly important to Europe's automotive\nindustry. The European Commission's concept paper on an open European\nsoftware-defined vehicle platform\n(https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/concept-paper-open-european-software-defined-vehicle-platform)\nidentifies a strong open-source strategy, reference implementations,\nstandardized software components and shared validation tools as key\nfoundations for European collaboration and competitiveness.\n\nTUM has demonstrated this approach through EDGAR\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/ftm/main-research/intelligent-vehicle-systems/edgar/)\n, its autonomous research vehicle running the open-source Autoware. At IAA\nMOBILITY 2025\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/avs/news/article/iaa-mobility-2025/) , EDGAR\noffered public demonstration rides from Messe München to downtown\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/ftm/news/article/ftm-at-iaa-mobility-2025-autonomous-ride-with-edgar-from-the-fairgrounds-into-downtown-munich/)\nacross urban, rural and highway environments, showcasing how open-source\nsoftware, research and engineering can be integrated and evaluated under\nvaried real-world traffic conditions.\n\nTUM has also demonstrated the rapid adaptation to a new city\n(https://www.mos.ed.tum.de/en/mos/about-us/news-events/article/edgar-drives-autonomously-through-berlin-mitte-with-a-state-secretary-and-the-tuev-nord-chairman-on-board/)\n. Within a week, the TUM team successfully deployed EDGAR and demonstrated\nautonomous operation on the urban roads of Berlin. This demonstration, in\ncollaboration with TÜV-Verband, tested a new assessment methodology for Level\n4 autonomous driving under real-world traffic conditions for the German\ngovernment.\n\nCollaboration overview\n\nThrough strategic research funding from TIER IV, the TUM Autoware Research\nCenter by TIER IV will bring together expertise from TUM research groups at\nthe Chair of Automotive Technology (FTM), the Professorships of Cyber Physical\nSystems (CPS) and Autonomous Vehicle Systems (AVS). The center will serve as a\nlong-term base for autonomous driving research, open-source software\ndevelopment and doctoral training. It will also connect academic, industrial\nand public-transport projects and provide a platform for demonstrations and\nbenchmark challenges.\n\nThe collaboration will focus on three areas:\n\n * Safety: Developing a hybrid architecture that combines deep-learning-based\ndriving models with rule-based supervision. A verifiable \"safety guardian\"\nwill monitor driving behavior and intervene when necessary based on defined\nsafety constraints.\n * Evaluation: Creating a benchmarking and verification framework for component-\nand system-level testing across simulation, offline analysis and real-world\noperation, building on TUM's EDGAR research platform and CommonRoad expertise.\n * Scalability: Establishing a repeatable process for adapting and evaluating\nAutoware in new environments, with improvements contributed to open-source\nprojects wherever appropriate.\nFuture prospects\n\nTIER IV and TUM intend the initiative to provide a foundation for expanding\nthe open autonomous driving ecosystem in Germany and across Europe, connecting\nacademic research, industrial development and public-transport projects. The\ncollaboration aims to provide European vehicle manufacturers with technologies\nand evaluation methods that support the development of open, safe, scalable,\nand product-oriented autonomous driving systems. Open software, shared\nevaluation methods and visible demonstrations will give organizations a common\nplatform on which to test technologies, develop talent and advance autonomous\nmobility toward commercial and public use.\n\nSupporting quotes\n\n\"Safe autonomous driving at scale requires progress across AI, system\narchitecture, verification and deployment,\" said Shinpei Kato, founder and CEO\nof TIER IV. \"By combining TUM's research capabilities with TIER IV's\nexperience in developing and deploying Autoware, we aim to create technologies\nand open benchmarks that benefit the broader autonomous driving ecosystem.\nThis collaboration also marks an important step toward advancing the open\nautonomous driving ecosystem in Europe, providing OEM manufacturers with\ntechnologies and evaluation methods that support the development of safe and\nscalable autonomous driving systems.\"\n\n\"At TUM, we are combining learning-based methods with traditional rule-based\nsystems to make autonomous systems that can scale but are also verifiably\nsafe, and actually deploying them in the real world. Our autonomous research\nplatform EDGAR is built upon the open-source software stack Autoware, which\nprovides a great baseline for autonomous driving research and education,\" said\nJohannes Betz, Professor of Autonomous Vehicle Systems, TUM.\n\nAbout the Technical University of Munich\n\nThe Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the world's leading\nuniversities in terms of research, teaching and innovation, with around 700\nprofessorships, 52,000 students and 13,000 staff. TUM's range of subjects\nincludes computer sciences, engineering, natural and life sciences, medicine,\neconomics and social sciences. As an entrepreneurial university, TUM envisages\nitself as a global hub of knowledge exchange, open to society. Every year,\naround 100 start-ups are founded at TUM, which acts as a key player in\nMunich's high-tech ecosystem. The university is represented around the world\nby its TUM Asia campus in Singapore along with offices in Beijing, Brussels,\nMumbai, San Francisco, São Paulo and Shenzhen. Nobel Prize laureates and\ninventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde and Rudolf Mößbauer have\nconducted research at TUM, which was awarded the title of University of\nExcellence in 2006, 2012, 2019 and 2026. International rankings regularly cite\nTUM as the best university in the European Union.\n\nAbout TIER IV\n\nTIER IV stands at the forefront of deep tech innovation, pioneering Autoware,\nopen-source software for autonomous driving. With a comprehensive suite of\nplatforms and services built around Autoware, TIER IV provides everything from\nsoftware development and vehicle procurement to operational support. Through\nthe Autoware ecosystem, TIER IV works with partners worldwide to shape the\nfuture of intelligent vehicles with open-source software, aiming to create\nmobility that is safer, more sustainable, and accessible to all.\n\nMedia contacts\n\nTIER IV\npr@tier4.jp (mailto:pr@tier4.jp)\n\nTechnical University of Munich\nPR contact\nMr. Moritz Müller mo.mueller@tum.de (mailto:mo.mueller@tum.de)\n\n*Autoware is a registered trademark of the Autoware Foundation.\n(https://autoware.org/)\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tier-iv-and-technical-university-of-munich-establish-autoware-research-center-to-advance-the-open-autonomous-driving-ecosystem-302908641.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tier-iv-and-technical-university-of-munich-establish-autoware-research-center-to-advance-the-open-autonomous-driving-ecosystem-302908641.html)\n\nSOURCE TIER IV, Inc.\n\n\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS1463639/TIERIV-Logo-Logo.jpg?id=OA3018538\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-10-15T07:00:01.908315539Z","server_sent_at_ms":1792047601908},"received_at":"2026-10-15T07:00:01.959Z","source_url":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tier-iv-and-technical-university-of-munich-establish-autoware-research-center-to-advance-the-open-autonomous-driving-ecosystem-302908641.html"},"analysis":{"id":"158035","press_release_id":"169813","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Software","sector":"Information Technology"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"partnership","narrative":"TIER IV and the Technical University of Munich have established the TUM Autoware Research Center through a multi-year strategic research collaboration funded by TIER IV.\n\nThe center unites three TUM research groups to advance safety, evaluation and scalability of autonomous driving systems built on Autoware, TIER IV's open-source autonomous driving stack.\n\nThe partnership aims to expand the open autonomous driving ecosystem in Germany and Europe, giving European OEMs shared technologies and evaluation methods.","sentiment":"bullish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"TIER IV deepens its European academic foothold with a TUM research center built around Autoware."},"keyFigures":{"customDimensions":{"deal_structure":"multi-year strategic research collaboration with TIER IV strategic research funding","research_areas":["Safety","Evaluation","Scalability"]}},"quotedText":"Safe autonomous driving at scale requires progress across AI, system architecture, verification and deployment","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Shinpei Kato","role":"Founder and CEO of TIER IV"},{"name":"Johannes Betz","role":"Professor of Autonomous Vehicle Systems, TUM"},{"name":"Moritz Müller","role":"TUM media contact"}],"products":["Autoware","EDGAR","CommonRoad","TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV"],"companies":[{"name":"TIER IV, Inc.","ticker":"593A","relationship":"filer / collaboration partner"},{"name":"Technical University of Munich (TUM)","relationship":"research partner"},{"name":"TÜV-Verband","relationship":"prior demonstration collaborator"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"materialImpact":{"score":2,"reasoning":"A multi-year academic research partnership strengthening the Autoware open-source ecosystem and TIER IV's European footprint. Strategically positive but no revenue, contract value, or near-term financial impact disclosed."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"593A"},"globalImportance":15,"audienceRelevance":10,"eventTypeSecondary":["operations_update"],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"small-cap","eventGravity":"academic-research-partnership","financialDisclosure":"none"}},"event_type":"partnership","event_type_secondary":["operations_update"],"sentiment":"bullish","material_impact_score":2,"narrative":"TIER IV and the Technical University of Munich have established the TUM Autoware Research Center through a multi-year strategic research collaboration funded by TIER IV.\n\nThe center unites three TUM research groups to advance safety, evaluation and scalability of autonomous driving systems built on Autoware, TIER IV's open-source autonomous driving stack.\n\nThe partnership aims to expand the open autonomous driving ecosystem in Germany and Europe, giving European OEMs shared technologies and evaluation methods.","key_figures":{"customDimensions":{"deal_structure":"multi-year strategic research collaboration with TIER IV strategic research funding","research_areas":["Safety","Evaluation","Scalability"]}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Shinpei Kato","role":"Founder and CEO of TIER IV"},{"name":"Johannes Betz","role":"Professor of Autonomous Vehicle Systems, TUM"},{"name":"Moritz Müller","role":"TUM media contact"}],"products":["Autoware","EDGAR","CommonRoad","TUM Autoware Research Center by TIER IV"],"companies":[{"name":"TIER IV, Inc.","ticker":"593A","relationship":"filer / collaboration partner"},{"name":"Technical University of Munich (TUM)","relationship":"research partner"},{"name":"TÜV-Verband","relationship":"prior demonstration collaborator"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"model_name":"glm-5.3-flashx","prompt_hash":"sha256:5c812bd9e28b810d","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-10-15T07:00:09.243Z","global_importance":15,"audience_relevance":10,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"small-cap","eventGravity":"academic-research-partnership","financialDisclosure":"none"}},"durationMs":7264,"modelName":"glm-5.3-flashx"}}