Applied Intuition. Applied Intuition is an American software company specializing in building artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and advanced software for vehicle manufacturers. Founded in 2017 and based in Mountain View, California, Applied Intuition develops tools for the development, testing, and deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)  technologies in various industries, including automotive, trucking, defense, agriculture, construction, and mining. The company leverages AI technology to provide automakers and other entities with solutions to simulate driving scenarios in the development of autonomous systems..

Applied Intuition products are used by 18 of the leading 20 global automakers. In addition to automotive manufacturers, Applied Intuition has worked with companies developing self-driving trucks, self-driving taxis, and robots for use in warehouses.

In 2024 Applied Intuition completed a $250 million Series E funding round and a subsequent $300 million secondary offering, and achieved a valuation of $6 billion. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity Investments, Kleiner Perkins, Microsoft's venture capital arm M12, and Porsche Investments Management. With the investment by Andreessen Horowitz, Marc Andreessen joined the Applied Intuition board.

History 
Applied Intuition was co-founded by Qasar Younis, a former chief operating officer at Y Combinator and group product manager at Google, and Peter Ludwig, a former Google product manager and software engineer.

The company's first product was a motion simulator to enable AV developers to simulate, instead of road-test, certain problems that arose during the AV development process. It later created software tools intended to improve the process of developing autonomous vehicles. The company's primary offerings include a suite of simulation and testing software that enables vehicle manufacturers to create and refine AV systems by analyzing capabilities such as perception systems, vehicle dynamics, and overall software integration. This development environment enables manufacturers to simulate driving scenarios to assess safety and functionality before deploying vehicles on actual roads.

In June 2024, Applied Intuition announced an off-road autonomy stack, a software set designed to enable autonomous systems to navigate complex, unstructured terrains. This advanced technology integrates various sensors and algorithms to support off-road operations in industries such as mining, agriculture, and defense.

Applied Intuition has partnered with leading automotive manufacturers, including Porsche and Audi, to develop next-generation ADAS offerings. Porsche announced in March 2024 it is partnering with Applied Intuition to jointly develop different fields of automotive software. In April 2024 Applied Intuition and Audi began partnering to develop automated driving systems that enhance vehicle autonomy and safety. In August 2024 Applied Intuition entered into partnership with truck manufacturer Isuzu Motors to jointly develop self-driving trucks, solidifying Isuzu's plans to jointly develop self-driving trucks in support of Isuzu's plans for trucks and buses with Level 4 automation, the capability to handle most driving situations without human intervention.

In 2025, Bloomberg named Applied Intuition to its list of The 10 Defense Tech Startups to Watch in 2025.

Acquisitions
In 2022 Applied Intuition acquired Mechanical Simulation Corp., a company known for its CarSim software, which is used by major automakers for simulating real-world vehicle dynamics. Mechanical Simulation also made products that support simulation for trucks, motorcycles, and powertrains.

In 2023, the company acquired SceneBox, a machine learning (ML) data management and operations platform developed by Caliber Data Labs, aimed at enhancing the training of ML models through a data-centric approach. 

Also in 2023, Applied Intuition acquired autonomous trucking company Embark Trucks, a company specializing in autonomous trucking technology, for approximately $71 million.

References

External links 
Official website

Software companies based in California
Software companies established in 2017
Companies based in Mountain View, California
Automotive electronics
Automotive technologies
Automotive industry
Technology companies established in 2017
Self-driving car companies
Defense companies of the United States