Magneti Marelli has announced the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of 100% of SmartMeUp, a French start-up operating in the field of ‘perception software’ aimed at autonomous driving, Smart Cities and safety technology applications. Closing is expected to take place in the last quarter of 2018, following some formal steps.
In particular, SmartMeUp develops software for processing sensor’s signals, detecting and recognising objects around the vehicle, allowing 3D Environment Building and Object Movement Tracking. This type of software will be a key enabler for autonomous vehicles.
The differentiating feature of SmartMeUp’s software is that it requires low computing power and generates low heat, making it possible to be rolled out on a large scale for embedded automotive applications. SmartMeUp also focuses on developing software for ‘Driver Monitoring’, that is included in the NCAP requirements roadmap, expected to be mandatory by 2020. The acquisition will bring Magneti Marelli into a group of high-skilled scientists and engineers, with proven capabilities in the field.
“The acquisition of SmartMeUp, combined with the investment in LiDAR expert LeddarTech and the long-established Lighting and Electronics capabilities, strengthens Magneti Marelli’s contribution to autonomous driving development with focus on the sensing and perception components of the architecture,” said Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Magneti Marelli.
The first step of the company’s strategy for autonomous driving was the development of the ‘Smart Corner’ concept, which integrates sensors into the vehicle lights and the investment LeddarTech, for the joint development of LiDAR systems. Moreover, Magneti Marelli is internally developing automotive grade cameras and electronic control units for sensor fusion.
Magneti Marelli designs and produces advanced systems and components for the automotive industry. With 85 production units, 15 R&D centres in 20 countries, approximately 43,000 employees and a turnover of €7.9 billion in 2016, the group supplies all the major car makers in Europe, North and South America and the Asia Pacific region.
