TOKYO and SANTA CLARA, Calif, March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Plus , a global leader in AI-based autonomous trucking software, and TIER IV , the pioneering force behind the world's first open-source software for autonomous driving, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced autonomous driving solutions, Autonomy 2.0, in Japan, starting with Level 4 autonomous trucks on Japan's expressways. The collaboration supports a Japanese government-led initiative to expedite the development of autonomous driving technologies, aimed at addressing the country's critical driver shortage.As part of the collaboration, Plus and TIER IV will co-create a customized autonomous driving software solution for the Japan market by integrating Plus's end-to-end virtual driver AI model with TIER IV's platform based on Autoware*, open-source software for autonomous driving championed by TIER IV.TIER IV's CEO Shinpei Kato said: "We've always believed that co-creation with our partners is the fastest way to bring the best autonomous driving systems to the world. Plus is a global autonomous driving software company that's already powering the Level 4 autonomous trucks of leading truck makers in the United States and Europe like TRATON GROUP's Scania, MAN and International, Iveco Group, as well as Hyundai. This makes Plus the ideal partner to accelerate deployment of Autonomy 2.0-based autonomous driving technology in Japan, starting with autonomous trucks.""Driverless trucks are a necessary solution to address Japan's acute truck driver shortage and aging population," said David Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of Plus. "We are excited to leverage our AV2.0 Generative AI-based autonomous driving technology and expertise in deploying autonomous trucks with global truck makers to work with TIER IV to accelerate the rollout of driverless trucks in Japan."A study by the Nomura Research Institute projected a 36% shortfall in truck drivers in Japan by 2030. To address this challenge, Plus and TIER IV are joining forces, leveraging TIER IV's experience and proven track record in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) project to develop autonomous trucks based on vehicles from Japanese vehicle manufacturers

A self-driving semi-truck at the CES tech show in Las Vegas in 2022. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa. [+] (Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images) dpa/picture alliance via Getty ImagesPlus, which has developed AI-based autonomous truck software, and Tier IV announced a partnership to speed up the development and deployment of self-driving systems in Japan.The companies said in a statement their system will be called Autonomy 2.0 in Japan.The Plus-Tier IV project comes as Japan faces a shortfall of truck drivers.The partnership will “accelerate the development and deployment of advanced autonomous driving solutions…in Japan, starting with Level 4 autonomous trucks on Japan’s expressways,” according to a statement.The move “supports a Japanese government-led initiative to expedite the development of autonomous driving technologies,” Plus and Tier IV said.The companies added they will co-create “a customized autonomous driving software solution for the Japan market.”“We’ve always believed that co-creation with our partners is the fastest way to bring the best autonomous driving systems to the world,” Tier IV CEO Shinpei Kato said in the statement. “Plus is a global autonomous-driving software company…This makes Plus the ideal partner to accelerate deployment” of autonomous driving technology in Japan.“Driverless trucks are a necessary solution to address Japan’s acute truck driver shortage and aging population,” David Liu, CEO of and co-founder of Plus, said in the statement. Plus wants to work with Tier IV “to accelerate the rollout of driverless trucks in Japan.”The Normura Research Institute has projected a 36% shortfall in truck driver in Japan by 2030.The companies say Plus is leveraging Tier IV’s experience in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry project to develop self-driving trucks based on vehicles from Japanese vehicle manufacturers. Plus and Tier IV “will pave the way for more innovative and efficient transport for the Japanese market,” the companies said in the statement.The auto industry globally is grappling with how to develop driverless technology