NI Becomes Exclusive Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Technology Sponsor of the Indy Autonomous Challenge

NI, formerly known as National Instruments, announced today that it has joined the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) as the official Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Technology Sponsor. By leveraging NI's state-of-the-art HIL test system, the IAC team will be able to validate their car architectures and thoroughly test all components in a controlled environment before hitting the racetrack.

The IAC organizes racing competitions with full-scale autonomous racecars that see university teams from around the world compete in a series of racing challenges, with the goal to advance technology and accelerate the commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles. Through an unprecedented collaboration of public-private sponsorships and academic institutions, IAC harnesses the same cutting-edge hardware and software components used in the commercial vehicle industry. This unified approach establishes a remarkable testing ground and validation platform for industry technologies.

IAC showed interest in NI technology because of its complete infrastructure, capabilities, and openness, and chose NI's ADAS and AD HIL system due to its seamless integration with existing and future third-party components and software. The selection ensures program innovation and interoperability by alleviating the challenge of finding an HIL provider that can work across all the undefined space.

The incorporation of NI's HIL system will empower university teams to achieve comprehensive test coverage, encompassing even the most challenging edge cases, and improve the performance of the complex algorithms that each team diligently develops - the best algorithm wins.

"Being chosen as the leading provider of HIL technology for IAC is an incredible honor, and we are thrilled to collaborate closely with the IAC team and their industry collaborators," said Jeffrey Phillips, Director of Transportation Marketing at NI. "Autonomous driving is a complex endeavor that requires collaboration and collective effort, and by joining forces with IAC, we can gain firsthand insight into the challenges faced by our customers. This invaluable experience will allow us to accelerate the implementation of new innovations that the industry needs to realize the ultimate goal of safe autonomous vehicles."

"From data and automation to research and validation, NI provides the tailored, software-connected solutions our IAC teams need to test the limits of autonomous driving," said Paul Mitchell, president, Indy Autonomous Challenge. "Our university teams are working to solve real world problems and they need best-in-class solutions like NI's HIL technology to help them reach the next level of autonomous achievement."

The IAC and NI collaboration symbolizes a groundbreaking milestone in the autonomous vehicle landscape. Together, they will pave the way for groundbreaking advancements, foster innovation, and propel the industry towards safer and more efficient autonomous transportation solutions.

The Fastest Autonomous Racecar: https://youtu.be/KnTceKUjVds

About IAC:

The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) organizes racing competitions among university affiliated teams from around the world to program fully autonomous racecars and compete in a series of history-making events at iconic tracks. Based in Indiana, the IAC is working to establish a hub for performance automation in the state and is harnessing the power of innovative competitions to attract the best and the brightest minds from around the globe to further state-of the-art technology in safety and performance of automated vehicles. The IAC started as a $1 million prize competition with 31 university teams signing up to compete more than two years ago, representing top engineering and technology universities from 11 countries including 15 U.S. states. Follow at www.IndyAutonomousChallenge.com.

About NI:

At NI, we bring together the people, ideas and technology so forward thinkers and creative problem solvers can take on humanity's biggest challenges. From data and automation to research and validation, we provide the tailored, software-connected systems engineers and enterprises need to Engineer Ambitiouslytm every day.

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