Global Automated Vehicle Software Firm Locates HQ in Ann Arbor

559
Automated vehicle software developer ADASTEC has relocated its headquarters from San Francisco to the SPARK Central Innovation Center in Ann Arbor. // Courtesy of ADASTEC
Automated vehicle software developer ADASTEC has relocated its headquarters from San Francisco to the SPARK Central Innovation Center in Ann Arbor. // Courtesy of ADASTEC

ADASTEC Corp., an automated vehicles (AV) software developer company, has chosen to relocate its headquarters to the SPARK Central Innovation Center in Ann Arbor from San Francisco due to the high-density of mobility innovation and the support for future growth available throughout the city’s technological ecosystem.

“We believe that Michigan is one of the best locations to be for mobility and automotive industry,” says Ali Peker, CEO of ADASTEC. “There are excellent opportunities in Michigan as economic development corporations, associations, and chambers.”

ADASTEC has developed flowride.ai, a SAE Level 4 automated driving software platform for commercial vehicles. The company has deployed a test of its technology on Michigan State University’s (MSU) campus in East Lansing, made possible through a collaboration with the state of Michigan and bus manufacturer Karsan.

MSU will officially deploy the bus after completing intense on-campus testing and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration validation of the bus, route, and infrastructure.

“Having a permanent headquarter location here in the Ann Arbor region is a benefit to ADASTEC because of its proximity to U-M and MSU,” says Komal Doshi, director of mobility programs at Ann Arbor SPARK.

“The company’s future growth is dependent on access to business development opportunities and finding talent, so there’s no better place than Ann Arbor for it to grow its roots. What’s particularly exciting for our ecosystem here is that ADASTEC joins a growing list of foreign companies that recognize the assets this region offers and want to be part of it all.”

Ann Arbor SPARK and its partners at the Detroit Regional Partnership have also connected ADASTEC to University of Michigan’s Mcity Tech Lab Program where a four-member student team will be working with them to create a sensor fusion architecture for enhanced perception in adverse weather conditions.

Their work will also incorporate new and existing multiple sensors designed to improve safety and the overall capabilities of the autonomous bus in all environments.

The company also plans to leverage testing and validation opportunities through the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti and capture the performance of the system in different scenarios. Ann Arbor SPARK, the Detroit Regional Partnership, and ADASTEC are aggressively pursuing additional partnerships to help further the company’s operations in the region.

On April 21, Ann Arbor SPARK will host ADASTEC at the virtual A2Mobility Tech Meetup, where the company will share more about its technology and growth plans. The company currently has five employees locally with plans to double their team here in the next year.