Mobileye in deal with Nissan to create maps for self-driving cars

Israeli autonomous vehicle technology firm Mobileye said on Tuesday it forged an agreement with Nissan Motor to create next generation maps to enable safe self-driving cars.

The deal comes after a successful trial last year that culminated in Mobileye’s mapping technology being used in Nissan’s recent autonomous vehicle demonstration in London.

“We now have significant commitments from multiple global automakers to generate and share data from camera-equipped ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) vehicles,” said Mobileye Chairman Amnon Shashua, adding the results will add to a global road map that is a critical feature of self-driving autos.

Mobileye, which also is collaborating with German automaker BMW, is in the process of being acquired by Intel, which last month agreed to buy the company for $15.3 billion in a deal that promises to escalate the arms race among the world’s carmakers and suppliers to acquire autonomous vehicle technology.