DETROIT (June 30, 2026) — Dynamic Map Platform North America, Inc. (hereinafter “DMP NA”), a group company of Dynamic Map Platform Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO & President: Shuichi Yoshimura; “Dynamic Map Platform”), completed a five-year sponsorship of SAE International’s AutoDrive Challenge™ II. Participating university teams developed and demonstrated autonomous vehicles (AV) that can navigate urban driving courses as described by SAE J3016™ Standard Level 4 automation. Over the five-year university competition, DMP NA provided High-Precision 3D Map Data of each team’s local test course and the Mcity Test Facility, located on the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus.
The SAE AutoDrive Challenge II is comprised of ten leading automotive engineering universities in the US and Canada. The ten competing teams were Kettering University, Michigan Technological University, North Carolina A&T State University, The Ohio State University, Penn State University, Texas A&M University, University of Toronto, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Queen’s University and Virginia Tech. DMP NA is honored to share our High-Precision 3D Map Data and experience with the talented and enthusiastic students building the future of autonomous vehicles.
Each competing university was required to design, simulate, build and demonstrate an autonomous passenger vehicle capable of navigating urban driving courses at SAE J3016 standard Level 4 automation. The five-year competition evaluated teams against strict technical, safety and operational criteria. DMP NA’s High-Precision 3D Map Data was used by teams for precise vehicle localization. Precise localization is a mission critical component used in conjunction with perception and sensing to achieve SAE Level 4 path planning and vehicle control.
The universities completed real-world driving evaluations where the test vehicles were scored in complex driving scenarios like navigating intersections, obeying traffic laws and avoiding obstacles. Each of the competing universities was awarded points across seven different categories.
The implementation of autonomous driving technology requires the development of talent capable of working across a wide range of technical fields, including AI, sensing, mapping, and embedded software. During the competition, DMP NA attended fall and winter workshops as well as the year end competitions each June. DMP NA hosted a kiosk that was visited by student engineers from the US and Canada. Conversations developed on topics such as how DMP NA’s High-Precision 3D Map Data is utilized in autonomous driving systems and AI-based autonomous driving validation.
Moving forward, Dynamic Map Platform will continue to work in partnership with universities, research institutions, and industry to provide High-Precision 3D Data and support the development of next-generation talent.
＜Overview of “AutoDrive Challenge™ II” 2026＞
| Date | May 31 (Sun) – June 6 (Sat), 2026 |
| Venue | “Mcity,” University of Michigan |
| Participating Universities (10 teams) | Virginia Tech、University of Toronto、Texas A&M University、Queen’s University、Penn State University、The Ohio State University、Michigan Technological University、North Carolina A&T State University、Kettering University、University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Organizers | SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers), General Motors (GM) |
Official Website: https://www.autodrivechallenge.com/
