DriveSafeAI combines Wayve’s expertise in end-to-end AI with WMG’s world-leading expertise in safety verification and validation for self-driving technologies. This partnership will contribute to the evidence-base informing common assurance approaches to AI safety for the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles — unlocking a market projected to be worth £42bn to the UK economy by 2035.

DriveSafeAI aims to create a set of safety methods, tools, and datasets to ensure the safe deployment of AI software used in self-driving technology, paving the way for the commercial deployment of AV technology. Both partners will leverage their roles in standards and regulation development to translate DriveSafeAI’s evidence-based outputs to shape and inform national standards (BSI), international standards (ISO), and regulations (UNECE, EU).

About Wayve

Founded in 2017, Wayve is the leading developer of Embodied AI technology for automated driving. Their advanced AI software and foundation models for autonomy enable vehicles to perceive, understand, and navigate any environment, enhancing the usability and safety of autonomous driving systems. Wayve is developing mapless and hardware-agnostic Embodied AI products for automakers and fleet owners, accelerating the path from assisted to automated driving. They have conducted trials on UK public roads since 2018 and partnered with UK delivery fleets from Asda and Ocado Group. Backed by top investors like SoftBank Group, NVIDIA, and Eclipse Ventures, Wayve’s mission is to reimagine mobility with embodied intelligence.

• Expertise in developing AI for driving assistance and automation: Wayve is leveraging its world-leading knowledge and advances in embodied AI to test the practical implementation of DriveSafeAI’s assurance methods and tools.

About WMG, University of Warwick

WMG brings world-class research and engineering expertise, particularly in the verification and validation of autonomous systems. They are renowned for developing innovative safety assurance methods and tools. WMG has made significant contributions to international standards, created the Safety PoolTM Scenario Database—the world’s largest public database of test scenarios for autonomous vehicles—and supported the UK’s CAVPASS programme.

• Developing AI Safety Methodologies: WMG is responsible for building the evidence base to inform an independent AI safety methodology known as OASISS (ODD-based AI Safety In Self-Driving Systems).
• Training and Testing Expertise: WMG will provide their extensive expertise in training and testing scenario generation, drawing on their experience from past projects funded by CCAV (Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles) and various commercial projects.

Funded by CCAV

The project addresses the need for independent safety validation to build confidence in the use of AI in automated vehicles (AV).

DriveSafeAI is part of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicle’s Commercialising CAM Deployments Competition (CCAMD). The Commercialising CAM programme is funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, a joint unit between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Transport (DfT), and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic.

The £40m CCAMD competition was launched in May 2022 to support the delivery of early commercialisable Connected and Automated Mobility Services and is part of the Government’s vision for self-driving vehicles. Connected and automated mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles.