AMD backs Japanese startup Turing, partners on AI

Japanese self-driving startup Turing has taken an investment from AMD Ventures and will use AMD's Instinct MI300X accelerators for its AI models, the companies said. The move shifts Turing away from Nvidia hardware as it prepares for a commercial self-driving rollout.

Turing is developing Level 4 autonomous driving for Japanese roads. It will train its perception models on AMD silicon. That reduces its dependence on Nvidia GPUs, which had been the default for its earlier research. Turing previously used Nvidia's Drive platform, the company said. The investment from AMD Ventures gives AMD a direct stake in one of Japan's most ambitious autonomous driving projects.

For AMD, the deal marks a concrete win in the automotive AI segment, a market Nvidia has led with partnerships at Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and others. AMD's Instinct line has gained share in cloud data centers but has less presence in edge and automotive applications. This partnership could open the door to more automotive designs. For Nvidia, the loss of a high-profile startup client is a reminder that automakers are exploring alternatives as they scale production.

AMD's own financial setup reflects the challenge. The company's Alpha Score sits at 49 out of 100, a mixed read that balances solid execution in PC and server CPUs against an AI accelerator business still playing catch-up. Nvidia's Alpha Score of 65 points to stronger momentum and wider adoption across its product stack.

Turing has said it plans to begin commercial operations in 2026. The funding round with AMD Ventures was part of a larger Series C, the company said. Terms were not disclosed. The partnership pits AMD directly against Nvidia in Japan's autonomous vehicle sector, a market expected to grow as the country faces a shortage of delivery drivers and an aging population.

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