Bosch would like to acquire Atlatec

Atlatec has developed a technology for self-driving cars that can create high-resolution maps using a sensor box and AI. With the acquisition, Bosch aims to strengthen its market position.

Bosch wants to take over the Karlsruhe-based start-up Atlatec and continue to run it as an independent company in its Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division. The contracts have already been signed, but the antitrust authorities still have to approve the takeover. The companies are keeping quiet about the purchase price.

Atlatec emerged from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in 2014 and now operates in Japan and the U.S. in addition to Germany. The startup has developed technology for high-resolution digital maps for automated driving. A sensor box collects raw data on the roof of the car. An artificial intelligence system evaluates this and supplements it with information on traffic signs, curve radii and structural features such as streetcar tracks. The algorithms learn as they go, which should make the maps created by Atlatec increasingly accurate.

"In Bosch, we have found the right partner with whom to take the next step. We want to expand our expertise in the field of digital maps even further," says Atlatec CEO Henning Lategahn. With this acquisition, Bosch wants to strengthen its market position in automated driving. This is because high-resolution maps become all the more important the higher the level of automation of vehicles. Based on the maps, self-driving cars can, for example, adjust their speed before taking a curve.