Honda’s AI partner Helm.AI aims to surpass Tesla in self-driving tech

Honda announced at CES that its future electric vehicles will feature Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities through a partnership with AI company Helm.AI, marking a significant step in the automaker’s self-driving ambitions.

Current state of play: Honda’s bold Level 3 autonomous driving announcement comes despite the company not currently offering even Level 2 systems in the US market.

• Mercedes-Benz is currently the only automaker with legal clearance to operate Level 3 systems in the US, limited to Nevada and California
• Honda previously launched Level 3 capabilities in Japan in 2021, demonstrating early leadership in autonomous technology

The Helm.AI partnership: Honda’s collaboration with California-based Helm.AI since 2018 represents a key strategic move to accelerate its autonomous driving capabilities.

• Helm.AI combines proprietary mathematical models with generative AI to create training data more efficiently
• The company uses AI simulation to focus on challenging driving scenarios rather than relying solely on real-world data collection
• Volkswagen and other unnamed automakers are also working with Helm.AI to develop autonomous capabilities

Technical approach: Honda’s autonomous system aims to enable drivers to fully disengage from driving tasks, setting it apart from current Level 2 systems.

• The system will allow drivers to perform secondary tasks like texting or emailing
• Honda is developing a high-performance AI chip with Renesas Electronics Corporation, manufactured by TSMC
• The new chip targets 2,000 TOPS performance while maintaining power efficiency at 20 TOPS/W to minimize impact on vehicle range

Regulatory landscape: The incoming Trump administration is expected to modify autonomous vehicle regulations, potentially accelerating development.

• Proposed changes include increasing annual test vehicle allowances from 2,500 to 100,000
• The administration may eliminate requirements for reporting autonomous vehicle crashes
• State-level regulatory differences continue to pose challenges for nationwide autonomous vehicle deployment

Competitive dynamics: Tesla’s integrated approach to autonomous driving presents both challenges and opportunities for Honda.

• Tesla’s extensive real-world data collection through its vehicle fleet provides valuable training advantages
• Tesla is exploring licensing its Full Self-Driving software to other automakers, with potential integration taking at least three years
• Honda’s approach using AI simulation for training data represents an alternative path to achieving autonomous capabilities

Looking ahead: Despite promising technological developments, Honda faces significant hurdles in bringing Level 3 autonomous driving to market, including regulatory compliance, technical validation, and safety considerations. The success of their approach using AI simulation versus real-world data collection will be a crucial factor in determining their ability to compete with established players like Tesla in the autonomous driving space.