This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Turing, a five-year-old Japanese self-driving technology startup, has brought AMD Ventures onto its backer list as it works toward a commercial launch. The company has also started adopting artificial intelligence accelerators from Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD), marking a notable shift for a startup that has relied on Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) hardware for AI training and inferencing since its beginning. Turing executives said the company now handles roughly 10% of its AI training needs with AMD graphics processing units, a move that could help diversify supply and potentially lower costs in the capital-intensive autonomous driving market.
Masato Morishima, Turing’s chief financial officer, said the company has made notable progress with its technology and now has more to show potential auto partners, while adding that the business side needs sharper focus. Turing raised $79 million through an equity and debt extension to the Series A round it closed last year, though it did not disclose how much AMD Ventures invested. The company was valued at about $600 million after the extension round, according to people familiar with the matter.
Turing is aiming to offer its software in the consumer market and in driverless robotaxis as early as 2028. Competition in Japan is already building, with Nissan Motor, a Japanese automaker, UK-based AI startup Wayve Technologies, and ride-hailing company Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) planning a robotaxi tie-up in Tokyo by the end of this year. For investors, the development suggests AMD may be gaining a foothold in autonomous driving AI workloads beyond its broader AI accelerator push, while Turing’s cost-focused approach could become increasingly relevant as Japan’s self-driving market moves closer to commercialization.
