Pirelli invests in AI startup
Pirelli acquired a 30% stake in the Swedish technology company Univrses (with the possibility of increasing its stake to a controlling interest) in order to integrate the AI-based computer vision technologies developed by the startup into its Cyber Tyre system for collecting and transmitting road condition data. Additionally, it is potentially possible to use it in conjunction with driver assistance systems (ADAS) and on-board computers of autonomous vehicles.
The data collected using on-board cameras and sensors in the tires can be used by road services to make more informed and timely decisions and to use resources more efficiently, which can potentially reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on the roads, according to Pirelli.
Cyber Tyre is a software and hardware system developed by Pirelli that can collect data using sensors in the tires, process information using the company's algorithms, and transmit it in real-time to the vehicle's electronics and to the cloud, allowing for monitoring of the road infrastructure. At the same time, Univrses' technologies, initially created to provide vehicles with data about their surroundings, have been adapted to allow vehicles to monitor road conditions. In particular, the 3DAI system based on AI has been developed, which allows for the digitization of urban and road infrastructure using sensors and cameras installed on vehicles.
In 2025, Pirelli and the authorities of the Italian region of Apulia launched a system for monitoring the regional road network with the aim of creating an updatable map of the infrastructure, and both data from "smart" tires and information collected using on-board cameras and processed using Univrses technologies are being used.
"The agreement with Univrses will allow us to expand the capabilities of the Cyber Tyre platform by integrating advanced AI computer vision technologies," said Pirelli CEO Andrea Casaluci. "Our collaboration will make a significant contribution to transforming vehicles into software-defined vehicles".
Univrses CEO Jonathan Selby added that "continuous monitoring and data collection are becoming the basis for managing infrastructure assets, and Univrses technologies provide broad opportunities for analysis by obtaining reliable and constantly updated information. In this context, we are pleased to welcome Pirelli as an investor and take our collaboration to the next level: together we can offer even more advanced services and products".