Audi Automated Driving Development R&D office opens in Silicon Valley with fleet of new test vehicles

Audi today announced the opening of its new Audi Automated Driving Development (A2D2) R&D office in San Jose to create Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) specifically for the North American market. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, A2D2 will have the flexibility to quickly develop new software and to collaborate with nearby startups for production-intent applications.

The U.S. is expected to continue its lead in terms of ADAS system capabilities based on artificial intelligence and its cloud supported development processes in the push to more advanced Level 2+ automated systems for the coming decade worldwide.

“Given the rapid advancement of driver assistance technologies in North America, it’s important to be part of the latest breakthroughs, work with leading edge of technology startups and attract the top talent,” said Frank Grosshauser, senior director, ADAS, Audi of America. “We’re looking to bring on as many as 60 engineers to develop new functionalities, catered specifically to North American Audi customer needs.”

While Audi maintains R&D offices in various locations throughout the U.S., A2D2 is the first office dedicated to developing ADAS hardware and software specifically for North American roads and driving behaviors.

To start, A2D2 has outfitted several Audi Q7 development vehicles with roof-mounted sensor kits to collect data and help software engineers develop tools that power tomorrow’s vehicles and enhance the driving experience in an Audi. The A2D2 development vehicles are wrapped in a QR code that links to a webpage with the latest Audi automated driving breakthroughs and developments. Designers working in the Audi Design Loft in Malibu, California, created the unique graphics and logo specifically for A2D2.

The fleet of testing vehicles will be used for data acquisition to develop various cloud-based automated driver-assistance functions planned for introduction by 2023.

Audi is focused on the further development of automated driving together with colleagues in the Car.Software organization, a newly founded Volkswagen Group unit. All Volkswagen Group brands have concentrated their automated driving development activities within this unit. This pooling of expertise ensures that synergies can be leveraged and benefits can be realized for all Volkswagen Group brands.