Autoware Foundation 2.0: Growing Together Toward Scalable Autonomy
The Autoware Foundation has reached a meaningful milestone: over 100 member organizations now support our shared vision for open-source autonomous driving. This growth reflects the increasing momentum behind Autoware and the broader open-source ecosystem driving autonomy forward.
Over the past several months, we’ve seen a new wave of engagement take shape. With a growing number of full-time contributors now dedicated to the Foundation’s work, we’ve been able to take important steps toward aligning our goals, refining our direction, and strengthening our execution. This collective effort has brought new energy to our mission and enabled a more structured approach to long-term impact.
We’ve also taken this time to revisit and refine our mission, vision, and core values to better reflect the maturity of the community and the exciting possibilities ahead. At the heart of this reflection are three guiding elements:
Mission: Build open-source software for globally trusted autonomous driving systems that engage and advance society.
This statement grounds us in a practical and purposeful direction—developing open-source tools that are not only technically sound but trusted and meaningful in their societal impact.
Vision: Co-create a neutral, trusted hub that advances safety and beyond in mobility and society.
It captures our belief in collaborative innovation, supported by a neutral and inclusive environment that encourages broad participation and long-term benefit.
Core Values:
- Open Source: 100% open source software supporting research and commercialization, as a complete software stack or through component integration with third parties
- Collaborative: Built in collaboration and cooperation through multi-disciplinary ecosystems and alliances, welcome to individual developers all the way up to large organizations
- Deployment Ready: Turn-key technology that can be deployed out-of-the-box with ease, and scale from single vehicles to large global fleets achieving mass adoption
- Cutting Edge: Reliable and safe systems using state-of-the-art technologies enabling advanced autonomous features
We’re calling this next chapter Autoware Foundation 2.0.
A key part of this transformation has been the harmonization of our working groups. To create more coherence and better alignment with our strategic objectives, we’ve merged overlapping efforts and repurposed several groups with renewed focus. The Privately Owned Vehicle and Low Speed Autonomy working groups are now tasked with advancing those application areas at high technology readiness levels—ensuring that the software developed is not only functional, but close to deployment.
Meanwhile, the Off-Road & Racing working group will focus on pushing boundaries through cutting-edge research, helping us prepare Autoware for emerging and future use cases.
This focus may give the impression that the Autoware Foundation is doubling down on just a few application domains—but our ambition remains to go deep and wide. The only way to achieve this is through close collaboration with Autoware users and partners across the world. Whether you’re developing for ports, mining, logistics, shuttles, or something entirely new—your involvement, insight, and contributions will be essential to broaden Autoware’s reach while maintaining its technical excellence.
Another defining element of Autoware Foundation 2.0 is our AI-first direction. With the introduction of SceneSeg and Scene3D—the first in a broader pipeline of AI models developed from the ground up within the Foundation and enriched by contributions from the open-source community—we’re unlocking new capabilities across multiple layers of the autonomy stack. These models have already sparked strong interest from OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, technology providers, research institutions, and other organizations.
We’re currently exploring collaborative opportunities with more than ten organizations—some of which are already moving into active planning phases. Looking ahead, CES 2026 will represent a milestone for the Autoware community, with a wide range of compelling demos set to showcase what’s possible when AI innovation is powered by open collaboration.
Alongside our technical strategy, we are also deeply focused on building the talent pipeline necessary to scale Autoware in the real world. Through a model we call direct projects, we aim to match Autoware users with capable engineering teams who can support and accelerate deployment efforts. A key enabler of this vision is our growing Centers of Excellence network—now spanning over 50 universities and research institutions worldwide. This academic network is more than a knowledge hub—it’s a distinct strategic advantage, helping us cultivate the next generation of talent to serve the ecosystem.
Autoware Foundation 2.0 represents a shared commitment to scalable, accessible, and technically robust autonomy—guided by community input, fueled by global collaboration, and backed by a workforce ready to make it happen.
To every member, contributor, and partner: thank you for being part of this journey. We’re excited about what lies ahead—and proud to be building it together.
Read our latest press release on Autoware Foundation 2.0 ⤵️
