Oxa and Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud have announced plans to partner in a bid to speed up the deployment of the British self-driving software start-up's autonomous software platform to customers around the world.
Oxfordshire-founded Oxa will use Google Cloud infrastructure to create 'scalable, safe, and reliable' autonomous driving solutions for its customers in last-mile logistics, agriculture, light industry and public transport.
The companies said Oxa will use Google Cloud products to develop and test its self-driving technology, including generating digital twins to validate its platform.
Oxa will also use Google Cloud's cyber-security expertise to ensure the secure use of self-driving technology.
Cloud infrastructure is seen as crucial for developing autonomous vehicles at scale.
Wayve, another British self-driving start-up, is using supercomputer infrastructure designed by its investor Microsoft to process vast amounts of data as it develops machine learning-based models for self-driving cars.
Developing fully self-driving vehicles that can go everywhere has proven harder and more expensive than expected, but investors are continuing to fund startups that target simpler self-driving vehicle solutions far removed from pedestrians and other vehicles operated by unpredictable humans.
Oxa said in January it had raised $140 million from investors to speed the deployment of AVs in areas including heavy industry, ports and airports.