The global race to develop autonomous cars is a multi-billion-dollar competition. Multiple groups of legacy automobile manufacturers, commercial truck manufacturers, information technology companies, and AI and robotics developers are competing to replace or augment human drivers, lower transport costs, and change how cities and transportation networks operate. The automotive industry is entering the era of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), where vehicle capabilities are increasingly determined by software, AI, and high-performance computing rather than fixed-function hardware alone.
TIER IV is a leading pioneer of SDV technology. With a comprehensive suite of platforms and services built around Autoware. It works with partners worldwide to shape the future of intelligent vehicles with open-source software, aiming to create mobility that is safer, more sustainable, and accessible to all.
Earlier this month, TIER IV announced it is collaborating with Renesas Electronics Corporation to build an open AI-native computing platform for SDVs. It also joined the Next-Generation Edge AI Semiconductor Research and Development Program led by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to advance research and development of a software-defined system-on-chip (SoC) for Level 4 autonomous driving.
Now, TIER IV has joined OIN 2.0 – the expanded patent non-aggression framework launched earlier this year by Open Invention Network (OIN). OIN is the largest patent non-aggression community in history, with more than 4,000 members.
OIN’s community safeguards core open-source technologies that span cloud computing to AI, and almost everything in between. Members grant one another cross-licenses to patents covering the Linux System as defined by OIN, which reduces the patent risk attached to Linux and related open-source software. Launched in January 2026, OIN 2.0 widens the scope of that Linux System, broadening the range of core technologies the framework covers and, with them, the technologies its members agree not to leverage in patent disputes between members.
TIER IV believes that to advance the deployment of autonomous driving in collaboration with partners around the world, it is essential to foster an ecosystem built on open source software. This requires participating in the community that reduces patent risks associated with open source software and enables its use with greater confidence. By joining OIN 2.0, TIER IV is demonstrating its commitment to patent non-aggression and enhanced governance, while also pursuing a patent strategy that balances the use of open-source software with the protection of intellectual property.
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