TOKYO, Japan, October 15, 2025 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it has decided to make an additional investment in Helm.ai, a California-based startup, that has key strengths in AI technologies advanced through unsupervised learning*1. As Helm.ai raises additional funds for its continued growth, Honda will make an additional investment to further enhance its development of next-generation end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving (AD) and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
Helm.ai is an AI software startup established in November 2016, and Honda and Helm.ai have been working in collaboration since 2019 through Honda Xcelerator*2, a global open innovation program of Honda. Through the initial investment Honda made in 2022, the two companies have strengthened collaboration and accelerated research and development of unique solutions that integrate advanced AI technologies of Helm.ai and Honda technologies.
Moreover, in July 2025, the two companies signed a multi-year joint development agreement for the purpose of enhancing the development of next-generation AD/ADAS based on the E2E AI architecture that controls everything from environmental perception to decision-making and vehicle actuation.
The additional investment announced today will further strengthen the relationship between the two companies under this overarching direction of the joint development agreement. By leveraging the original Deep Teaching™*3 technology and generative AI of Helm.ai, Honda will accelerate its development of next-generation ADAS which will provide high-level driver assistance, including vehicle operations such as acceleration and steering, throughout the entire route to the destination, whether on expressways or surface roads. Honda is aiming to apply this new, next-generation ADAS to a broad range of key EV and HEV models Honda will launch in North America and Japan around 2027.
Going forward, Honda will continue to accelerate the development of its original next-generation AD/ADAS based on cutting-edge AI technologies including E2E AI, and swiftly deliver highly reliable autonomous driving technologies to customers around the world, which will accelerate Honda initiative to achieve zero fatalities from traffic collisions involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles.