Nissan Motor selected Softbank Group-backed AI company Wayve to provide software to underpin a planned mass deployment of autonomous driving technology, a move reportedly significant as the first backing for the start-up by a major automotive manufacturer.

Wayve stated Nissan plans to incorporate its AI Driver software in the next generation of its ProPilot technology which the Japanese automotive company intends to launch in its fiscal 2027 (the period to end-March 2028).

The UK-based AI company asserts Nissan’s latest advanced driver assistance system will “set a new standard for autonomous driving”, with improved capabilities around collision avoidance.

Bloomberg reported Nissan is the first big name global automotive player to go public on its intention to incorporate Wayve’s technology into production vehicles.

Wayve explained AI Driver will be combined with “next-generation Lidar” in the Nissan system.

AI Driver is “built on Wayve’s embodied AI foundation model” and is “designed to handle highly complex real-world driving conditions in a human-like manner”.

Wayve added the technology can use vast amounts of data to learn quickly.

SoftBank led a Series-C investment round Wayve held in 2024 which raised $1.1 billion and attracted NVIDIA as a new investor.

Microsoft is another Wayve backer and also participated in the Series-C round.