Toyota Seeks To Invest More In Israeli Robotics, Auto Tech

November 6, 2017 | Auto giant Toyota Motor Corp is seeking to invest in more Israeli companies focusing on automotive technology and robotics, months after Toyota AI Ventures invested $14 million in the Israeli robotics company Intuition Robotics, which developed a robot companion that uses artificial intelligence to improve the lives of the aging population. Toyota AI Ventures is a new $100 million-fund launched to invest in AI, robotics and autonomous mobility and is part of the the $1 billion Toyota Research Institute. The managing director of Toyota AI Ventures, Jim Adler, told Reuters during a visit to Israel on Sunday that “we will see more involvement of Toyota in the Israeli market in the future,” adding that “there’s more in the pipeline.” He indicated that technologies enabling autonomous vehicles were on particular interest to Toyota. “There’s a tremendous amount of innovation happening in Israel as cars become more produced by data,” he said.