Business

Why TIER IV Is Backing a Taiwan Startup to Push Autonomous Driving Forward

Inside a partnership showing how open-source platforms and startups are scaling autonomous driving beyond the lab.

Updated

December 17, 2025 2:52 PM

A Robotaxi prototype developed by TIER IV. PHOTO: TIER IV

Autonomous driving is often discussed in terms of futuristic cars and distant timelines. This investment is about something more immediate. Japan-based TIER IV has invested in Turing Drive, a Taiwan startup that builds autonomous driving systems designed for controlled, everyday environments such as factories, ports, airports and industrial campuses. The investment establishes a capital and business alliance between the two companies, with a shared focus on developing autonomous driving technology and expanding operations across Asia.

Rather than targeting open roads and city traffic, Turing Drive’s work centres on places where vehicles follow fixed routes and move at low speeds. These include logistics hubs, manufacturing facilities and commercial sites where automation is already part of daily operations. According to the release, Turing Drive has deployments across Taiwan, Japan and other regions and works closely with vehicle manufacturers to integrate autonomous systems into special-purpose vehicles.

The investment also connects Turing Drive more closely with Autoware, an open-source autonomous driving software ecosystem supported by TIER IV. Turing Drive joined the Autoware Foundation in September 2024 and develops its systems using this shared software framework. TIER IV’s own Pilot.Auto platform, which is built around Autoware, is used across applications such as factory transport, public transit, freight movement and autonomous mobility services.

Through the alliance, TIER IV plans to work with Turing Drive to further develop autonomous driving systems for these controlled environments, while strengthening its presence in Taiwan and the broader Asia-Pacific region. The collaboration brings together software development and on-the-ground deployment experience within markets where autonomous driving is already being tested in real operational settings.

“This partnership with Turing Drive represents a significant step forward in accelerating the deployment of autonomous driving across Asia”, said TIER IV CEO Shinpei Kato. “At TIER IV, our mission has always been to make autonomous driving accessible to all. By collaborating with Turing Drive, which has demonstrated remarkable achievements in real-world deployments in Taiwan, we aim to deliver autonomous driving that enables a safer, more sustainable and more inclusive society”.  

“We are thrilled to establish this strategic alliance with TIER IV, a global leader in open-source autonomous driving”, said Weilung Chen, chairman of Turing Drive. “In Taiwan, autonomous driving deployment is gaining significant momentum, particularly across logistics hubs, ports, airports and industrial campuses. By combining our field expertise with TIER IV's world-class Pilot.Auto platform, we aim to accelerate the development of practical, commercially viable mobility services powered by autonomous driving”. Overall, the investment highlights how autonomous driving in Asia is being shaped by operational needs and gradual integration, rather than headline-grabbing demonstrations.

Keep Reading

Agriculture

XAG’s New P150 Max Drone Brings Smart, Heavy-Duty Automation to Modern Farming

When farm challenges grow, smart tools need to grow with them.

Updated

November 27, 2025 3:26 PM

A drone spraying water over an agricultural field. PHOTO: FREEPIK

Farms today are under pressure. Fields are getting bigger, workers are harder to find and many jobs still rely on long hours of manual labor. XAG’s new P150 Max agricultural drone is designed for exactly this reality. Instead of replacing farmers, it takes over the heavy, repetitive fieldwork that slows them down, making farm operations more efficient and more precise.

The P150 Max is built around one simple idea: a single machine that can handle multiple farming tasks. Most farm drones focus only on spraying or mapping, but this one is fully modular. With a quick switch of attachments, it can spray crops, spread seeds or fertilizer, map fields or transport supplies. This flexibility helps farmers keep up with changing tasks throughout the day without needing different machines, improving both productivity and cost-efficiency.

A key challenge in agriculture is that fields are rarely smooth or predictable. Tractors can get stuck, smaller drones can’t carry much and some areas—like orchards or hilly plots—are simply hard to reach. The P150 Max fills that gap with an 80-kilogram payload and fast flight speed, letting it cover more ground per trip. Fewer takeoffs mean less downtime and more work completed before weather or daylight cuts operations short.

When it’s time to spray, the drone uses a smart spraying system that allows farmers to adjust droplet size based on the crop’s needs. This matters because precise spraying reduces waste and improves targeting. With an output of up to 46 liters per minute, the drone can serve both large open fields and dense orchards where consistent coverage is traditionally difficult.

The spreading system applies the same logic. Instead of dropping seeds or fertilizer unevenly, the vertical mechanism spreads material smoothly and resists wind drift. This ensures uniform application across irregular or hard-to-reach land—an ongoing challenge for modern farms aiming for higher yield and better resource use.

Another everyday issue for farmers is understanding and surveying the land before working on it. The P150 Max helps here with a built-in mapping tool that covers up to 20 hectares per flight and instantly converts the images into detailed maps. With AI detecting obstacles like trees or irrigation lines, the drone can plan safe and efficient autonomous routes, reducing manual planning time.

Beyond spraying and spreading, the drone can transport tools, produce and farm supplies using a sling attachment. This is particularly helpful after heavy rain, when vehicles cannot easily move across muddy or flooded fields.

Under all these functions is XAG’s upgraded flight control system, which provides centimeter-level accuracy even when network signals are weak. Integrated sensors—including 4D radar and a wide-angle camera—help the drone recognize hazards such as poles and wires. Farmers can manage all operations through the XAG One app or a handheld controller, both of which automatically generate the best route based on field shape and terrain.

Since long field days require long operating hours, the fast-charging battery system can recharge in about seven minutes using a dedicated kit. This supports continuous drone use throughout the day with minimal interruptions.

After years of testing, the XAG P150 Max is essentially an effort to make practical, scalable farm automation more accessible. By combining spraying, spreading, mapping and transport into one heavy-duty platform, it offers a way to ease labor shortages while keeping operations efficient and sustainable. Instead of focusing on one task, the drone aims to take over the time-consuming physical work so farmers can focus on decisions, planning and crop management.