Hyundai Invests in AI-Based Mapping Startup

Hyundai Motor Co. is making an undisclosed investment in Netradyne Inc., a San Diego-based startup that uses cameras with artificial intelligence to help map roads for autonomous driving systems.

Netradyne cameras currently are used to monitor vehicle safety for fleet managers. The technology also can be used to crowd-source road data and driving behavior. Doing so, the partners note, would significantly reduce the cost of creating and updating high-definition maps needed for self-driving cars.

The data will support the development of advanced driver assistance systems and Level 3+ autonomous vehicle technologies, Hyundai says. Founded in 2015, Netradyne focuses on technologies related to computer vision, deep learning, edge computing and predictive analytics.

The startup, which began working with Hyundai last year, says it already has captured and analyzed more than 1 million miles of the 2.7 million total miles of paved roads across the U.S. This includes numerous passes—totaling more than 350 million miles over the same roads—to provide information on how conditions change throughout the year.

Hyundai aims to begin high-volume production of Level 4 driverless vehicles within five years. Last month the carmaker formed a joint venture with Aptiv plc to develop technologies for autonomous vehicles.