China-based artificial intelligence (AI) company SenseTime opened an autonomous driving test course in Japan to support the development of various smart-driving technologies and conduct road tests.

The AI Autonomous Driving Park, in the city of Joso in Ibaraki prefecture, will be used solely by the company and serve as an R&D centre to support the development of the smart car industry.

Previously a city-owned driving school, the facility will also be open to the public, allowing local residents to experience advanced autonomous driving technologies, the company said in a statement.

Ibaraki, about 50km from Tokyo, is near Tsukuba Science City, a prestigious scientific research centre in Japan.

Takeshi Kandatsu, mayor of Joso, said: “I believe autonomous driving vehicles will bring not only revolutionary changes to our traffic system, but also solutions to regional traffic problems. With the help of SenseTime, I look forward to seeing autonomous cars running on the roads of Joso. We will give full support to make it happen.”

Over the past years, test vehicles equipped with SenseTime’s autonomous driving technology have undergone road tests in Japan and China.

In 2017 SenseTime signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Honda to jointly develop Level 4 autonomous driving technology. The pair are cooperating to mass-produce autonomous driving cars that can hit the road in 2025.