Why May? NTT’s 3 reasons to invest

At May Mobility, the partnerships we build and the relationships we foster are key to developing a business that delivers innovative autonomous vehicle (AV) technology that actually improves mobility for people across the world. One of those strategic partnerships is with the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT).

In 2023, NTT led May Mobility’s Series D round of fundraising and, as a result, gained access to our cutting-edge autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and turnkey mobility-as-a-service product. By combining May’s technology with NTT’s infrastructure and operational efficiencies, our two companies are poised to transform mobility in Japan, a win-win for both companies.

Here are three reasons why NTT believes May Mobility is the right partner to bring autonomous vehicles to Japan:

1. May Mobility’s patented Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology

From the outside, our vehicles may look like any other, but we believe we’ve created a car that’s smarter than the rest—and NTT thinks so too. Unlike other AV systems, MPDM doesn’t fully rely on all the collected data being stored and analyzed on the backside of a data center. When driving, every millisecond matters. We can’t be waiting for engineers to code every possible behavior and reaction. Autonomous technology needs to think more like a human, ready to adapt to any situation. That’s why we’ve built a system that takes live perception data straight to the vehicle’s computer for quicker, more accurate responses. MPDM takes in real-time data points every 200 milliseconds from around the vehicle and analyzes thousands of scenarios every second for on-the-fly learning. This method allows the vehicle to make safe and smooth driving decisions, even when facing unknown circumstances.

Pairing this real-time learning with the efforts of our engineers at the office gives May Mobility an edge on the competition. Our engineers don’t have to worry about using extensive amounts of time programming edge-cases and resources storing data because the technology handles that itself. This also means that, with all the data MPDM is constantly learning from, May Mobility is more prepared to scale quickly and efficiently to new and diverse locations.

2. May Mobility works with OEMs

May Mobility specializes in autonomous vehicle technology. While we focus in on what we do best, we turn to the experts to design and manufacture our vehicles for us. Currently, we use the Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS, a vehicle custom-built for AV technology.

By working with established OEMs, NTT knows that the vehicles it deploys in Japan will be reliable. Toyota is widely recognized across the world, and its home country of Japan trusts the vehicles it designs. Instead of worrying about the vehicle, NTT and May Mobility can devote their time and resources to deploying commercial operations in Japan.

3. May Mobility’s AV experience and its footprint in Japan

NTT is new to the mobility scene and wanted to work with an autonomous vehicle company that already had experience in a variety of markets. May Mobility has deployed in more locations than any other AV company and has done so across a diverse set of climates and population densities. To date, we’ve deployed in 14 communities in the U.S. and Japan and are currently operating in six cities, with plans to deploy in several more in both countries by the end of the year.

With all the data collected from so many different commercial projects, May Mobility continues to expand beyond the limits of its operations. This experience, plus further developments to May’s autonomous driving kit and MPDM technology, gives NTT the confidence that they are bringing the best autonomous vehicles to Japan’s streets as they lead operations within the country. Additionally, May Mobility was the third company to launch Driver-Out operations and did so in six years. MPDM makes the future of mobility a reality today.

Moving forward

Combining NTT’s and May Mobility’s strengths, our autonomous mobility services will make transportation safer, more efficient, and accessible in Japan. Add in the safest and most reliable autonomy-capable vehicles on the market and we’ve got the perfect recipe to lead the AV industry to new heights.

Join us as we change the world through autonomous vehicle technology. Reach out and let’s start a conversation.