Bosch to Acquire 3D Mapping Specialist Atlatec GmbH

Germany’s Bosch is to acquire Atlatec GmbH, a provider of high-resolution digital maps for driver assistance and automated driving. The Karlsruhe-based company will become part of the Bosch Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division as an independently operated company.

The acquisition will boost Bosch’s engineering work on SAE Level 4 automated driving solutions.

Atlatec’s portfolio includes data recording and processing, plus map creation.

For the creation of maps, Atlatec has developed a scalable solution with its own sensor box and associated software. 

Atlatec, which was spun off from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in 2014, employs around 25 people in Germany, Japan, and the US.

Dr. Mathias Pillin, president of Bosch’s Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division, says: “The planned acquisition of Atlatec further expands our expertise in the field of high-resolution digital maps and makes us even more diversified. It makes Bosch the only company that can offer its customers all the necessary building blocks of automated driving – from actuators and sensors to software and maps – from a single source. We are thus consistently expanding our strong position in this area.”

“In Bosch, we have found the right partner for us as we take the next step in expanding our digital mapping expertise even further,” adds Dr. Henning Lategahn, CEO of Atlatec GmbH. 

Dr. Stephan Hönle, senior vice president of the Automated Driving unit in the Bosch Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division, comments: “Atlatec GmbH’s technology package for creating high-resolution maps makes the company an ideal addition for Bosch. The resulting mapping solution is very intelligent and agile, which sets it apart from other vendors. For example, the AI it uses identifies and maps road features such as guardrails and lane markings with the highest accuracy and consistency. This lets us design our driving strategy algorithms even more precisely.” 

Bosch is currently developing solutions for private vehicles with a focus on driver assistance and on partially and conditionally automated systems (SAE Levels 1 to 3).

It has already developed automated valet parking, the first production-ready automated driving function not to require a driver at all.