Copyright © 2026 Autoware Foundation
This June, the Autoware community gathered in Detroit, Michigan, for the 2026 IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IEEE IV), bringing together researchers, developers, industry leaders, and open-source contributors from around the world.
Throughout the conference, Autoware was represented across a full program of technical learning, research, industry discussion, and community activities.
Autoware Tutorial & Workshop
The week began with the combined Autoware Tutorial & Workshop, providing a full day of presentations, technical discussions, and poster sessions.
The workshop, now in its eighth edition at IEEE IV, continued to connect academic research with the evolving Autoware ecosystem. This year’s program featured a record 12 accepted papers, alongside contributions and discussions from the Autoware Centers of Excellence and the wider community.
Democratizing Access to Physical AI
Another highlight was the keynote, “Autoware – Democratizing Access to Physical AI,” exploring how open-source collaboration can help make the next generation of AI-driven autonomous driving technology accessible to a broader community.
As autonomous driving increasingly moves toward AI-first and end-to-end approaches, Autoware continues to evolve while staying true to its open-source foundation—connecting research, development, validation, and real-world deployment.
Bringing the Community Together
The Autoware Meetup gave the community another opportunity to connect beyond the technical sessions. Researchers, developers, users, and industry members gathered for networking and a panel discussion on deploying Autoware in industry.
Across the week, conversations at the conference and TIER IV booth also showcased how Autoware is being used for autonomous driving research and real-world applications.
Most importantly, IEEE IV 2026 was about the people behind the technology.
Thank you to all of our speakers, authors, researchers, contributors, sponsors, partners, volunteers, and participants who made the week in Detroit memorable.
Watch the IEEE IV 2026 recap video:
We look forward to continuing the journey—and seeing the community again at IEEE IV 2027 in Perth, Australia.
Building the future of autonomous driving, together!
An Introduction to Autoware and Its Application Platforms
Organizers
- Alexander Carballo: Gifu University and TIER IV (alex@gifu-u.ac.jp)
- Simon Thompson: TIER IV (simon.thompson@tier4.jp)
Abstract
Autoware is the largest open-source project and community around software and hardware for self-driving vehicles. The Autoware Foundation (AWF) has over 70 members from academia, industry, and government, contributing to the shared resources to cover the full spectrum of software and hardware for the autonomous driving ecosystem. Autoware has found widespread adoption: it is used by hundreds of companies, runs on 30+ vehicle types, and is used in 20+ countries.
Autoware is the world’s first open-source self-driving software, based on ROS (Robot Operating System) middleware, with all the necessary features required for fully autonomous driving: sensing, localization, perception, planning, and control; supports multiple vehicle interfaces as well as map formats. Participants, no matter their respective backgrounds and expertise, will find an interesting and engaging environment for discussion of practical aspects of self-driving using Autoware as a framework, as well as to discuss related state-of-the-art methods.
This tutorial aims to introduce the open-source autonomous driving software Autoware Universe and to detail how it can be used in autonomous driving research. Autoware is an open source software platform and supporting ecosystem for autonomous driving research and development. Speakers are invited from universities worldwide to give talks on various autonomous vehicle related topics and the application of Autoware in these fields. The tutorial will serve as a general introduction to Autoware and the challenges in deploying autonomous driving systems in the real world. It will help the audience get familiar with installing Autoware, deploying Autoware on vehicle platforms and using Autoware in research projects. The tutorial will be split into 60-minute sessions, each covering a topic of interest. A detailed description for each session is provided below.
We seek to engage the IEEE ITS Society and Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference (ITSC) participants, broadening the Autoware community. This tutorial also aims to promote Autoware related efforts in Euro therefore increasing the community and ecosystem. This tutorial offers value to both newcomers and seasoned professionals. Newcomers will gain foundational knowledge about Autoware, its capabilities, and real-world applications, enabling them to advance their research or develop self-driving solutions. Experienced professionals will gain insights into the latest advancements and find opportunities to contribute their expertise to a vibrant, open-source community dedicated to advancing autonomous driving technology for all.
Recent developments within the community have elevated Autoware’s role in the research domain. It has been actively used for self-driving vehicle racing, pushing the boundaries of performance and technology. Additionally, the Autoware Centers of Excellence (CoE)—a global network of over 40 universities—actively leverage and develop Autoware for academic purposes, involving students and researchers in its evolution.
Professors, students, independent researchers, and industrial partners are welcome to attend. To fully enjoy its benefit, the ideal audience should have a background in vehicle technology. It is also helpful but not required to have an understanding of autonomous vehicles on either hardware or software. We expect 50 to 70 attendees during the presentation.
Topics/Keywords:
Autoware, autonomous driving, open-source software (OSS)
Outline
All presentations are 40 to 60 minutes including Q&A. Some of the specific topics and speakers are yet to be confirmed. A hands-on demonstration on an actual autonomous driving platform is planned. The tutorial will cover several of the following topics:
- Detailed tutorials on Autoware OS software use for research and development for the purpose of educating students and enabling autonomous driving R&D.
- Descriptions of deployed Autoware enabled autonomous systems to real world operational environments.
- Introduction to open hardware and software reference designs that enable the easy adoption of autonomous driving technology within the Autoware ecosystem.
- Different aspects of autonomous driving technology illustrated or implemented with the use of Autoware OSS.
List of speakers (TBC)
Schedule (TBC)
OPENNING
- 8:30 – 8:40 (GMT+2, CEST) : Welcome address
- 8:40 – 9:00 (GMT+2, CEST) : Update from the Autoware Foundation, SPC Vice Chair, AWF
COFFEE BREAK
- 9:00 – 9:20 (GMT+2, CEST)
- 9:20 – 10:00 (GMT+2, CEST)
- Introduction: Autoware a platform for Autonomous Driving Development
- Ryohsuke Mitsudome (The Autoware Foundation, TIER IV)
- 10:00 – 10:40 (GMT+2, CEST)
- Nebula: The Open-Source Universal Sensor Driver for Autoware
- Simon Thompson (TIER IV)
- 10:40 – 11:20 (GMT+2, CEST)
- Software-Defined Vehicle Implementation based on Autoware’s Open AD Kit on an Autonomous Developer Chassis
- Alexander Carballo (Gifu University)
- 11:20 – 12:00 (GMT+2, CEST)
- EDGAR: An Autonomous Driving Research Platform based on Autoware
- Johannes Betz and Mattia Piccinini (Technical University of Munich)
LUNCH BREAK
- 12:00 – 13:00 (GMT+2)
- 13:00 – 14:00 (GMT+2, CEST)
- BeamNG.tech driving simulator and Autoware
- Alexander Carballo (Gifu University)
- 14:00 – 15:00 (GMT+2, CEST)
- Tecnocad autonomous vehicle platform development
- Matteo Barale (Tecnocad Group)
- 15:00 – 17:00 (GMT+2, CEST)
- Demonstration of Tecnocad autonomous Robobus
- Matteo Barale (Tecnocad Group)
CLOSING
- 17:00 – 17:10 (GMT+2, CEST): Closing remarks by the tutorial organizers.
Join us in Naples to collaborate with the Autoware community and help shape the future of open-source autonomous driving!
The Autoware Foundation is pleased to welcome the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) as its newest member.
TII is a leading global applied research center dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and developing transformative technologies. As part of the Abu Dhabi Government’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), TII brings together world-class scientists, researchers, and engineers in an open, agile research environment to tackle complex technological challenges and accelerate innovation across multiple domains.
By joining the Autoware Foundation, TII reinforces its commitment to advancing open-source autonomous driving technologies through global collaboration. The Foundation provides a neutral platform where industry, academia, and research organizations work together to develop and promote open-source software for autonomous mobility. TII’s participation will further strengthen the Foundation’s growing international community and contribute to the development of safe, reliable, and scalable autonomous systems.
“At TII, we believe that the future of autonomy will be shaped by open collaboration and shared innovation across academia, industry, and research organizations worldwide. Joining the Autoware Foundation is an important step in strengthening our contribution to the global autonomous systems ecosystem and advancing technologies that are safe, reliable, and scalable. Through this partnership, we look forward to collaborating with leading organizations to accelerate the development and adoption of autonomous mobility solutions that deliver real impact across industries and society.”
— Enrico Natalizio, Chief Research, Technology Innovation Institute
“We are delighted to welcome the Technology Innovation Institute to the Autoware Foundation. TII’s world-class research expertise and commitment to collaborative innovation align closely with our mission of advancing open-source Physical AI technologies. We look forward to working together to accelerate the development of safe, scalable, and trustworthy Physical AI solutions that benefit the global community.”
— Muhammad Zain Khawaja, President, The Autoware Foundation
About the Technology Innovation Institute
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is a leading global research center dedicated to pushing the frontiers of knowledge. Our teams of scientists, researchers and engineers work in an open, flexible and agile environment to deliver discovery science and transformative technologies. TII is part of the Abu Dhabi Government’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), which oversees technology research in the emirate.