Tokyo – September 24, 2026 -- TIER IV, the developer of the open-source Autoware autonomous driving platform, has released a reference design for autonomous racing kart systems on a public GitHub repository, providing a common technical foundation used by 240 teams and roughly 600 participants in Japan's Autonomous Driving AI Challenge.
240 teams built on a shared open-source foundation during the JSAE-organized competition
The Autonomous Driving AI Challenge, organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE), ran from July to September 2026, with qualifying and final rounds using TIER IV's reference design as the baseline development platform. Final rounds took place September 19-20, 2026, combining simulation-based and real-world vehicle challenges with racing karts.
Reference design bundles software, simulator and vehicle specs to cut development barriers
The released package includes autonomous driving software built on Autoware, a publicly available simulator reproducing racing kart driving, and design information covering vehicle and hardware configuration -- including the TOM'S EV racing kart, GNSS, IMU and onboard computer. A web platform for software setup, execution and driving-result review was also provided, alongside an online evaluation environment paired with real vehicles during the competition.
By supplying this common starting point, TIER IV allowed participants to focus development effort on autonomous driving algorithms and AI models rather than constructing complete vehicle and software systems from scratch, a task the company describes as a significant barrier to entry for new developers and engineering talent.
TIER IV signals plans to expand reference designs and global Autoware ecosystem
TIER IV said it aims to further expand its reference design offerings and strengthen development and evaluation environments through open source, working with industry, research and education partners to grow an ecosystem supporting real-world deployment of autonomous driving technology worldwide.