Magna has added more than 120 employees of Optimus Ride, a Boston, Massachusetts-based provider of autonomous vehicle and mobility solutions, to enhance its capabilities in the field of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
The deal follows Magna’s previous attempt to merge with Swedish automotive tech firm Veoneer, which instead decided to sell its Arriver sensor perception and drive policy software platform to Qualcomm.
“Growing our engineering bench strength in sensing hardware and software helps accelerate our path forward in a rapidly growing ADAS market,” said John O’Hara, president of Magna Electronics.
The team remains in Boston’s Seaport district, establishing a Boston-based engineering center and presence for Magna in a community rich in engineering talent, leading academic institutions and robotics.
“As advancements in autonomy continue, we saw an opportunity to bring in additional expertise to support current programs as well as future customer needs. We are happy to welcome the Optimus Ride employees to the Magna family,” added O’Hara.
Optimus Ride CEO Sean Harrington will not join Magna as part of the deal, and the Boston startup will cease its previous autonomous shuttle operations.