---
title: "TIER IV and Axell unveil Autoware Accelerator prototypes: Building energy-efficient autonomous vehicles"
description: TIER IV, a pioneer in open-source autonomous driving (AD) technology, has successfully partnered with Axell Corporation, a Japan-based computer hardware company, to conduct a collaborative research project aimed at creating a new application-specific system-on-chip (SoC) and software platform for autonomous vehicles.
---

[Updates｜TIER IV, Inc. ](https://tier4.co.jp/en/updates)

# [TIER IV and Axell unveil Autoware Accelerator prototypes: Building energy-efficient autonomous vehicles](https://tier4.co.jp/en/updates/press-release/20230809)

 Written by [TIER IV](https://tier4.co.jp/en/updates/author/tieriv) | 09-Aug-2023 01:00:00

TOKYO, August 9, 2023 – [TIER IV](https://tier4.co.jp/en/?hsLang=en), a pioneer in open-source autonomous driving (AD) technology, has successfully partnered with [Axell Corporation](https://www.axell.co.jp/en/), a Japan-based computer hardware company, to conduct a collaborative research project aimed at creating a new application-specific system-on-chip (SoC) and software platform for autonomous vehicles. The project culminated in a demonstration, showcasing the power and performance advantages of the Autoware Accelerators. These hardware accelerators are custom-designed specifically for the Autoware architecture.

 

These collaborative research efforts were funded by the "Innovative AI Chip and Next-Generation Computing Technology Development" project, sponsored by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

The new SoC has been specifically optimized to integrate with Autoware, a widely acclaimed open-source software for autonomous driving championed by TIER IV. Designed to execute a diverse range of AD algorithms with exceptional efficiency, the SoC sets the stage for the development of a complete Robo-Taxi system with an estimated power consumption of less than 150W (utilizing the latest state-of-the art semiconductor process). Additionally, the system features hardware accelerators that expertly manage high-load sensor data processing, achieving close to a tenfold reduction in power consumption compared to existing environments. To ensure seamless execution of control system processing, a dedicated real-time operating system (RTOS) is seamlessly integrated with many-core processors, effectively mitigating fluctuations in execution time. With its focus on AI edge computing, the SoC aims to provide more efficient and reliable AD functions.

R&D process culminating in the demonstration of a specialized SoC prototype for autonomous driving.

Demonstration test using an Autonomous Driving cab equipped with this SoC

*1 This article is based on results obtained from a project, JPNP16007, commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).  
*2 All company names, product names, service names, trade names, and registered trademarks mentioned here are the property of their respective owners.

About Axell

Axell is an advanced technology company with a highly integrated development structure of algorithms, R&D and software / hardware products. Our mission is to contribute to the future of business transformation through our cutting-edge technologies such as LSI R&D, machine learning / AI, cryptography and blockchain.  
[https://www.axell.co.jp/en/](https://www.axell.co.jp/en/)

**Media Contact**  
pr@tier4.jp

[View full post](https://tier4.co.jp/en/updates/press-release/20230809)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "TIER IV"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-07-07T05:42:33.262Z",
  "datePublished" : "2023-08-09T01:00:00Z",
  "headline" : "TIER IV and Axell unveil Autoware Accelerator prototypes: Building energy-efficient autonomous vehicles",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 760,
    "url" : "https://39817339.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/39817339/Imported_Blog_Media/Logo-TIERIVAxell.png",
    "width" : 3710
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://tier4.co.jp/en/updates/press-release/20230809",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Updates"
  }
}
```