Tmap Mobility and LG Electronics will develop vehicle technology in which artificial intelligence identifies a driver’s intent and surrounding conditions. The companies said on Oct. 30 they signed a memorandum of understanding at LG Sciencepark in Magok, Seoul, to build an ecosystem for autonomous driving and in-vehicle agentic AI in an AIDV environment.

An AIDV is a vehicle that uses AI to advance driving, safety and infotainment functions and provide customised driver services, a concept that goes a step beyond a software-defined vehicle (SDV). The companies will combine LG Electronics’ high-performance computing (HPC)-based automotive platform, vision-language models (VLM) and agentic AI technology using data from occupant monitoring systems (OMS) with Tmap’s high-precision maps, 3D lane-recognition navigation and points of interest (POI) data.

As a first step in technical verification, they will connect Tmap’s high-precision maps and 3D navigation to an autonomous driving simulation environment built by LG Electronics on CARLA and to its HPC in-vehicle system. They plan to check the functions of in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) services and the completeness of driving guidance information in a digital twin environment similar to real roads.

They will also develop natural-language guidance technology based on real-time camera video. It will provide route guidance using buildings or vehicles identified by the front camera as reference points. For example, drivers will receive guidance such as, "Turn right following the red vehicle in front of the white building ahead." They will also implement personalisation that reflects driving habits and guidance that helps drivers avoid risk by detecting icy sections and repeated hard-braking patterns by vehicles ahead.

The companies will also develop tailored content and place recommendation services by linking Tmap’s mobility and POI data with LG Electronics’ automotive content platform (ACP) data. They will also pursue video analytics-based insurance services and advances to safe-driving score models. After confirming the feasibility of applying the technology to real vehicles through joint testing by field, they plan to seek new business opportunities with automakers in South Korea and abroad.

Chang-geun Jeon (전창근), COO of Tmap Mobility, said maps and mobility data play a key role in enabling vehicles to understand a driver’s intent and surrounding environment in the AIDV era. He said the companies will combine Tmap’s accumulated mobility data with LG Electronics’ in-vehicle AI capabilities to strengthen AIDV technology competitiveness and create a new standard for the future mobility experience.