Mobileye will implement Innoviz lidar in its first-generation Mobileye Drive™ platform from 2026. Mobileye Drive™, a driverless system that enables mobility service providers and automakers to enable full autonomy in autonomous taxis, ride-sharing, public transportation and cargo delivery, is currently being tested in Europe, North America and Asia.

Innoviz’s Innoviz Two product platform, designed specifically for Mobileye Drive™, provides a complete set of lidar technologies for Level 4 autonomous driving platforms. The combination of Innoviz lidar with Mobileye’s imaging radar and high-resolution cameras is essential for the comprehensive sensing capabilities needed to navigate in complex urban environments, as well as to improve the overall safety and reliability of autonomous driving systems.

Professor Amnon Shashua, President and CEO of Mobileye, said: “We are excited to use Innoviz lidar for our first-generation Mobileye Drive™ platform to help improve the autonomous driving performance of our customer fleets around the world. “Our imaging radar and high-resolution cameras, combined with Innoviz lidar, will help Mobileye Drive™ become a powerful autonomous driving system that ultimately creates safer, more efficient and reliable transportation.”

Omer Keilaf, CEO and co-founder of Innoviz, said: “Mobileye’s collaboration with Innoviz on safer and more affordable next-generation autonomous vehicle solutions demonstrates our shared commitment to accelerating autonomous vehicle development. This agreement further demonstrates Innoviz’s ability to meet the stringent requirements of global Oems and support Level 4 driving solutions to help drive a new era of mobility.”

Omer Keilaf said in an interview that Innoviz expects about 100,000 vehicles a year to be equipped with Innoviz’s technology through its deal with Mobileye. Omer Keilaf added that for Innoviz, self-driving shuttles could be particularly profitable, as up to nine lidar sensors are required per vehicle, while driver assistance functions in private cars typically require only one or two sensors.

The deal comes after Mobileye announced it was abandoning its own lidar. In September, Mobileye said it had decided to end internal development of its next-generation frequency-modelled continuous wave (FMCW) lidar for driver assistance and fully autonomous driving systems, and planned to shut down its lidar research and development unit by the end of the year. Mobileye clarified that the decision will not affect any existing customer product initiatives or product development, and that the company remains committed to the development of its in-house imaging radar, which is on track to meet performance specifications and will enter production next year as scheduled.

With its expertise in artificial intelligence, computer vision, mapping, and hardware and software integration, Mobileye is leading the development of driver assistance technologies and fully autonomous driving systems. Founded in 1999, the company spun off from Intel in 2022 and went public independently, with about 180 million vehicles worldwide equipped with Mobileye’s technology by the end of 2023.

The Innoviz, which goes on sale in 2021, has already signed supply agreements with Volkswagen Group and BMW Group.