Inside a partnership showing how open-source platforms and startups are scaling autonomous driving beyond the lab.
Updated
January 8, 2026 6:30 PM
.jpg)
A Robotaxi prototype developed by TIER IV. PHOTO: TIER IV
Autonomous driving is often discussed in terms of futuristic cars and distant timelines. This investment is about something more immediate. Japan-based TIER IV has invested in Turing Drive, a Taiwan startup that builds autonomous driving systems designed for controlled, everyday environments such as factories, ports, airports and industrial campuses. The investment establishes a capital and business alliance between the two companies, with a shared focus on developing autonomous driving technology and expanding operations across Asia.
Rather than targeting open roads and city traffic, Turing Drive’s work centres on places where vehicles follow fixed routes and move at low speeds. These include logistics hubs, manufacturing facilities and commercial sites where automation is already part of daily operations. According to the release, Turing Drive has deployments across Taiwan, Japan and other regions and works closely with vehicle manufacturers to integrate autonomous systems into special-purpose vehicles.
The investment also connects Turing Drive more closely with Autoware, an open-source autonomous driving software ecosystem supported by TIER IV. Turing Drive joined the Autoware Foundation in September 2024 and develops its systems using this shared software framework. TIER IV’s own Pilot.Auto platform, which is built around Autoware, is used across applications such as factory transport, public transit, freight movement and autonomous mobility services.
Through the alliance, TIER IV plans to work with Turing Drive to further develop autonomous driving systems for these controlled environments, while strengthening its presence in Taiwan and the broader Asia-Pacific region. The collaboration brings together software development and on-the-ground deployment experience within markets where autonomous driving is already being tested in real operational settings.
“This partnership with Turing Drive represents a significant step forward in accelerating the deployment of autonomous driving across Asia”, said TIER IV CEO Shinpei Kato. “At TIER IV, our mission has always been to make autonomous driving accessible to all. By collaborating with Turing Drive, which has demonstrated remarkable achievements in real-world deployments in Taiwan, we aim to deliver autonomous driving that enables a safer, more sustainable and more inclusive society”.
“We are thrilled to establish this strategic alliance with TIER IV, a global leader in open-source autonomous driving”, said Weilung Chen, chairman of Turing Drive. “In Taiwan, autonomous driving deployment is gaining significant momentum, particularly across logistics hubs, ports, airports and industrial campuses. By combining our field expertise with TIER IV's world-class Pilot.Auto platform, we aim to accelerate the development of practical, commercially viable mobility services powered by autonomous driving”. Overall, the investment highlights how autonomous driving in Asia is being shaped by operational needs and gradual integration, rather than headline-grabbing demonstrations.
Keep Reading
METiS TechBio’s blockbuster IPO signals rising investor interest in AI startups focused on how drugs are delivered inside the body
Updated
May 14, 2026 3:02 PM
HIV-1 virus particles, coloured red. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Investors are beginning to place bigger bets on AI startups focused on drug delivery infrastructure rather than drug discovery alone. That shift was on display this week after METiS TechBio, a Hong Kong tech-bio startup focused on AI-powered drug delivery systems, debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The listing made METiS TechBio the world’s first publicly traded AI-powered drug delivery startup and the first AI-powered large-molecule biopharmaceutical startup listed in Hong Kong. The startup raised more than HKD 2.1 billion through its IPO, making it the largest healthcare listing in Hong Kong so far in 2026.
Investor demand was unusually strong. The Hong Kong public offering was oversubscribed by more than 6,900 times while the international tranche recorded 82 times oversubscription. More than 280 institutional investors participated in the international placing.
The strong demand reflects a wider shift in AI biotech. Over the past few years, much of the sector’s attention has focused on using AI to discover new drugs or molecules. METiS is taking a different approach. The startup focuses on how medicines are delivered inside the body after they are developed.
That challenge is becoming harder to ignore in biotech. Designing a therapy is only one part of the process. Delivering it precisely to specific organs, tissues or cells remains a major hurdle, especially for newer therapies involving RNA, proteins and large-molecule drugs.
METiS is trying to solve that problem through its proprietary NanoForge platform. The system uses AI to design and test nanodelivery systems that help medicines reach targeted areas inside the body more efficiently. The platform combines AI models, simulation systems and high-throughput screening tools to speed up formulation development and improve delivery precision.
The startup says it has already achieved targeted delivery across eight organs and tissue systems including the liver, lungs, heart, muscles and central nervous system.
One of its lead programs, MTS-004, became China’s first AI-enabled formulation drug to complete a Phase III clinical trial. The drug is being developed for pseudobulbar affect, a neurological condition that affects emotional expression. According to the startup, AI tools helped reduce preclinical formulation development time from up to two years to less than three months.
Investor interest in the IPO also came from some of the world’s largest asset managers and healthcare funds. BlackRock led the cornerstone investments with a USD 50 million subscription. Other participating investors included UBS Asset Management Singapore, Mirae Asset, ORIX Corporation, Deerfield, RTW, Hillhouse Capital and IDG Capital.
METiS is also building what it describes as a “platform collaboration + product partnership” business model. The startup currently works with more than 30 pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners globally, including large pharmaceutical companies and medical research institutions.
The company reported RMB 105 million in revenue in 2025, largely tied to upfront payments connected to its MTS-004 partnership agreements. It also said some platform collaboration contracts could reach milestone values of up to USD 109 million.
Chris Lai said: "The future of biomedicine will no longer be simply about 'taking medicine when one falls ill.' METiS TechBio's ambition is to harness AI to build nano-rockets that can navigate with precision through the inner space of the human body's 30 trillion cells, write the code of nucleic acids and proteins into cells, and reprogram diseased and aging cells into healthy cells. This was our founding aspiration, and it is the mission to which we will dedicate our lives. The IPO marks a new starting point for us to accelerate forward, and we will strive to live up to the support and trust we have received from all sectors."
The IPO also highlights how Hong Kong is increasingly positioning itself as a hub for next-generation biotech and AI healthcare startups. While investor excitement around AI drug discovery has cooled in parts of the market, startups focused on delivery systems and biotech infrastructure are beginning to attract stronger institutional backing.
For METiS, the challenge now will be turning that investor confidence into commercially viable therapies and long-term partnerships. But the listing suggests that AI-driven drug delivery is starting to emerge as a category investors are willing to treat as core biotech infrastructure rather than a niche research experiment.