Wayne, a British start-up, has announced that it will use Microsoft’s supercomputer in developing autonomous vehicle technology.
The supercomputer will be used to process massive amounts of data to develop machine learning-based models for autonomous vehicles.
Wayve technology relies on machine learning where data is obtained from camera sensors installed in vehicles. The system will look at traffic patterns and visible driver behavior, rather than using conventional methods that rely on detailed digital maps and coding to tell the vehicle how to operate.
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“Microsoft is providing supercomputing muscle,” Wayve Chief Executive Alex Kendall. “What we’re looking to do goes beyond the bounds of what’s possible for commercial cloud offerings today.”
Microsoft’s supercomputers can process the massive amounts of data that Wayve cars generate every minute.
The resulting data will be used to improve autonomous vehicle technology for remote delivery vehicle trials with Ocado and Asda.
Trials of the grocery delivery will begin this year with a human safety operator on board. “We see this as a commercial fleet offering,” he said. “That’s how we think autonomy will first come to the market.”
Microsoft previously participated in a Series B funding round on Wayne worth $200 million.
