Innovation in perception technologies is focused on accuracy, resolution, speed, range, cost and size in hardware and speed and intelligence in software. This agenda includes experts, vendors and startups working on improving LiDAR and AI in perception, with demos, networking, and access to the Sensors Converge Show Floor.
Silicon Valley, California, June 26, 2025/Meeting Recap/ On June 25, 2025, the Autotech Council convened an industry meeting on LIDAR & AI, exploring the confluence of these transformative technologies. LIDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, has rapidly become an indispensable perception technology, finding widespread applications across the automotive sector in areas from vehicle safety to autonomous driving, robotics, and industrial automation. The innovation in LIDAR has been consistently robust over the past five years, with nearly 30 LIDAR companies having previously showcased their advancements to the Autotech Council. Now, to be fair, the sector has had some rough waters lately, with a brutal shake-out of those without the funding to go the distance until domestic markets reach scale. But despite slower adoption than anticipated, the growth is STILL anticipated. The global automotive LIDAR market size was valued at USD 259.9 million in 2023 and is projected to grow significantly, underscoring the technology's critical role in future mobility solutions.
The ongoing tech, as vendors seek the market, is offering higher resolutions, longer ranges, and lower costs. For now, regulatory targets are also defining the goals, for example, the EU’s General Safety Regulation (EU) 2019/2144, which sets performance requirements for systems that are designed to mitigate or avoid collisions with vulnerable road users. But these specs don’t define the sensor type, nor how accurate any given sensor must be, but rather set guidelines for how safe the finished system is, i.e. the self-driving vehicle, including hardware and software.
Our meeting, co-located within the Sensors Expo, took place at the Santa Clara Convention Center, and brought together approximately 50 attendees, fostering a dynamic environment for discussion and collaboration. The meeting featured insightful contributions from key speakers and panelists. The panel discussion, "Combining LiDAR with AI," delved into critical aspects such as cost reduction in hardware, the proliferation of LIDAR across various industries, and the application of AI for sensor fusion. The esteemed panelists included Shanvir Dhinsa (Technical Specialist - Sensors, Lucid Motors), Waqas Malik (Business Development & Partnerships for Valeo Brain, Valeo), and Itai Dadon (VP Smart Infrastructure, Ouster). Their collective expertise offered diverse perspectives, but still consensus, on discussions on improvements in the quality, speed, costs, range, and wavelengths of LIDAR sensors. But also how the advent of SDVs with big central compute has altered the playing field.
A significant trend observed in the current landscape is the dropping cost and escalating resolution of LIDAR systems. This combination is bringing LIDAR to a tipping point for widespread adoption, with scale already being achieved in markets like China (but geopolitical considerations create some market separation.) It is anticipated that most new vehicles will incorporate some form of ranging sensors. Many car models are expected to offer a "tech package for driving assistance," allowing consumers to upgrade to a more comprehensive sensor suite that enables Level 3 (L3) or higher autonomous driving capabilities. The concept of sensor fusion was largely embraced by those present as a sensible approach, although discussions also touched upon homogeneous (camera-only) alternatives.
The relationship between RADAR and LIDAR remains a topic of ongoing exploration. It's not entirely clear how much they complement each other versus how much they compete. RADAR offers advantages in price and the ability to measure Doppler speed, while LIDAR provides superior point cloud resolution and precision. The emergence of Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology, potentially transitioning from RADAR to LIDAR, could further blur the lines between their features, leading to an even greater overlap in their capabilities.
A compelling insight from the OEMs present at the meeting was their increasing desire for "more data" from sensors, rather than "more summarized or tagged results." With the rise of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) equipped with powerful centralized computers, OEMs prefer a "fire hose" of raw data. This preference stems from the belief that more raw data allows for greater innovation, the uncovering of serendipitous uses, and the ability to push future applications to existing fleets via over-the-air (OTA) updates. This marks a substantial shift from the traditional integrated control units (ICUs) and even the System-On-A-Chip (SOC) sensors of the past five years, which focused on edge computing to summarize sensor data and present resolved information to the central stack. This inclination toward more data & raw data aligns perfectly with the growing reliance on artificial intelligence, as AI thrives on ever-increasing datasets.
The startup presentations were well-received, highlighting the vibrant innovation occurring in this space. The innovators and startups addressed topics such as:
The content underscored the dynamic interplay between hardware innovation, particularly in LIDAR, and the transformative power of AI in enhancing perception and enabling increasingly sophisticated autonomous systems.
The Autotech Council’s overarching goal is to foster meaningful business relationships and to significantly reduce the time it takes for members and innovators to finalize deals, ultimately accelerating the delivery of improved safety and real products into the hands of customers. This sold-out meeting fostered productive business engagements between the presenters and the audience during networking breaks, and demo tables.
The active participation of industry leaders, emerging startups, and key stakeholders highlighted the collective commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in intelligent transportation, ultimately paving the way for safer, more efficient, and more autonomous future.
Thanks to Sensors Expo, and all the presenters and panel speakers for their insightful contributions. All presentations from this meeting will be made available to Autotech Council members in the Member Library.