At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) marked a significant milestone in the realm of autonomous technology by successfully conducting the world’s first multi-car autonomous race. This landmark event took place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, showcasing four IAC AV-24 autonomous race cars, each operated by AI drivers representing global university teams in a competitive 20-lap exhibition.
The race concluded in a thrilling photo finish, with the Unimore Racing team narrowly clinching victory, finishing less than three-tenths of a second ahead of the Cavalier Autonomous Racing team. This unprecedented exhibition race not only highlighted advancements in artificial intelligence but also underscored the IAC's commitment to enhancing the safety and reliability of high-speed autonomous driving. Notably, this was the first instance where four autonomous vehicles completed an entire race while successfully executing multiple overtakes without any incidents.
Paul Mitchell, president and CEO of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, commented on this landmark achievement, stating, “Since our first race in 2021, the IAC and our university teams have been making history with the world’s fastest autonomous race cars, from setting speed records to introducing the world to head-to-head autonomous racing. But our goal has always been multi-agent racing, so being the first to have all our AI drivers complete a race and do so with five overtakes, no accidents, and a nose-to-nose finish is a testament to the progress of the IAC’s global ecosystem of highly talented university researchers, industry partners and government supporters.”
The event took place under challenging weather conditions, with gusts of wind reaching 30mph, yet it did not hinder the AI drivers’ impressive performance in managing high speeds and executing wheel-to-wheel racing strategies. All participants maintained a crash-free record throughout their respective races. Remarkably, both the winning teams in the time trials and the passing competition events were led by female team managers — Stephanie Meyer from Autonomous Tiger Racing and C K Wolfe from AI Racing Tech.
In addition to the thrilling races, the IAC announced the launch of Aidoptation, a new commercial division aimed at expediting the commercialisation of autonomous technologies. Based in Belgium at DronePort, Aidoptation intends to leverage the IAC’s pioneering achievements in high-speed mobility and autonomous systems. This initiative is supported by Belgium’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (LRM) and Ethias, a prominent insurance provider, marking a strategic step forward in the promotion and application of autonomous technologies in various sectors.
Source: Noah Wire Services