The Indy Autonomous Challenge is scheduled to make its first appearance in California. It will be prime opportunity to see racecars pushing the boundaries of autonomy.
The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) will help jumpstart the Grand Prix of Monterey with an autonomous race held on the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Thursday, July 24. The race event will include a time-trial competition of the world’s fastest autonomous racecars piloted by AI driver software developed by university teams from North America, Europe, and Asia.
“Running an autonomous race as part of the Grand Prix of Monterey, on the same track and the same weekend as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES event, is a powerful testament to how far the IAC and our university teams have advanced the field of AI and autonomy,” said Paul Mitchell, CEO of Indy Autonomous Challenge and its parent company Aidoptation BV. “Bringing this race and AI summit to the doorstep of Silicon Valley creates a high-impact moment to showcase the world’s fastest racecars to industry leaders in AI and robotics.”
The Indy Autonomous Challenge continues to push the boundaries of speed and control for autonomous land vehicles. | Credit: The Robot Report
Indy Autonomous Challenge takes to the road
This will be the second time IAC has raced on a road course; the first time was at the Monza F1 Circuit in 2023. The AI drivers will be pushed to new limits navigating one of the most technical circuits in the U.S., including the infamous Laguna Seca Corkscrew drop.
“Laguna Seca has a long history of supporting technology and innovation, and we are thrilled to welcome the world’s fastest autonomous racecars to the Grand Prix of Monterey,” said Mel Harder, president and general manager of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “We are excited to host IAC and its global network of university and industry partners to explore piloting their SMART Track technologies and how they can enhance safety and fan engagement.”
In addition to the autonomous race event, IAC will host an AI & Automation Summit on the grounds of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during the morning of July 24. This invitation-only summit will convene leading experts, innovators, and policymakers to discuss the future of artificial intelligence and robotics, and their impact on the physical world, including autonomous mobility.
The summit will include leading researchers from top engineering universities involved in IAC, global industry trailblazers drawing heavily from Silicon Valley, state and federal government leaders from the U.S., as well as EU countries, Asia, and the Middle East.
Eight IAC university teams will participate in the IAC race during the Grand Prix of Monterey weekend, including:
- AI Racing Tech – University of California, Berkeley, with the University of Hawai’i; University of California, San Diego; Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania)
- Autonomous Tiger Racing – Auburn University (Alabama)
- CAST Racer – California Institute of Technology
- Cavalier Autonomous Racing – University of Virginia
- IU Luddy – Indiana University
- KAIST – Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (South Korea)
- PoliMOVE-MSU – Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Michigan State University, University of Alabama
- Purdue AI Racing – Purdue University (Indiana)
The two IAC university teams not joining at Laguna Seca will instead run an exhibition race at the Monza F1 circuit during the Milan Monza Motor Show (MIMO) from June 27 to 29. They are:
- TUM Autonomous Motorsport – Technische Universität MĂĽnchen (Germany)
- UNIMORE Racing – University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy)
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