Mazda to use artificial intelligence to accelerate electric-car development

Mazda is tapping into Artificial Intelligence (AI) to cut development time of electric vehicles.

The Japanese car maker has invested an undisclosed amount as part of a $US16 million ($AU24.3 million) round of funding for AI-centric UK tech company Secondmind.

Mazda first entered into an agreement with the tech company in late 2020, but is now set to expand the partnership to focus on reducing engineering complexity in the design and development of new models.

Secondmind – founded in 2016 – describes itself as “the optimisation engine for the software-defined vehicle” which is “helping automotive engineers design better cars faster and achieve greater sustainability through machine learning”.

It holds a number of several machine-learning – a type of artificial-intelligence technology – patents.

With a focus on electric vehicles, the tech company says it can slash development time for new cars from years to months, and claims it can reduce ‘errors’ in design to lower the number of prototypes needed.

“The automotive industry needs to further accelerate the speed and efficiency of development due to the diversification of market needs and the increasing sophistication and complexity of technology,” said Naohito Saga, Mazda's head of Research and Development, in a media statement.

Mazda has already been working with Secondmind to help calibrate ECUs (Electronic Control Units) for its next-generation petrol and diesel engines.

It extended the original two-year deal in January 2022 before the latest funding round, which also attracted investment from Amadeus Capital Partners, Atlantic Bridge Ventures, and Cambridge Innovation Capital. 

Mazda has previously said it expects electric cars to account for 25 to 40 per cent of its global sales by 2030.

The company's only electric vehicle available globally – the MX-30 – remains available in certain countries, however it was dropped from the US in August 2023 and axed in Australia later in 2023.

It currently offers the mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid CX-60 and CX-90 SUVs in Australia.

The Japanese car maker has committed to introducing three electric cars by 2025 and has acknowledged it will be a follower, not a leader in electric vehicles.

Mazda is one of a number of global car makers using AI to improve its production processes and bring electric cars to showrooms more quickly.

Hyundai recently opened an experimental production line in Singapore where AI robots work in real time alongside humans, reducing production times.