Zurich: Swiss AI startup Lightly has officially launched LightlyEdge, an intelligent edge-based data collection platform aimed at revolutionizing how autonomous vehicles collect and process data. As global competition tightens and tariff pressures mount, LightlyEdge arrives as a strategic innovation designed to help European carmakers enhance their AI development processes—faster and more cost-effectively.
The new solution empowers automotive manufacturers to gather only the most relevant data directly from vehicle-mounted cameras and sensors. By analyzing video feeds in real time, LightlyEdge filters out redundant data and retains only high-value driving scenarios, such as pedestrians at unexpected crossings or hazardous weather events. This results in significantly reduced storage costs and more targeted, high-quality training datasets for autonomous driving systems.
“With LightlyEdge, we’re delivering a breakthrough in real-time, in-vehicle data collection,” said Matthias Heller, Co-founder of Lightly. “Our platform accelerates the pace of AI development by focusing on what truly matters—rare, critical driving scenarios that help train better models. It’s about delivering smarter data, not more data.”
The launch comes as major European players like Bosch and Mercedes-Benz undergo workforce restructuring, signaling the urgent need for automation and smarter development cycles. LightlyEdge builds upon Lightly’s earlier successes with LightlyOne in data center environments, pushing intelligent decision-making to the vehicle edge.
European OEMs now have a new weapon in their arsenal to compete with global giants such as Tesla, which has long used active learning techniques to optimize AI performance by feeding only the most valuable training data to its models. With LightlyEdge, European carmakers can close that innovation gap and reassert their leadership in autonomous mobility.
Key Features of LightlyEdge:
- On-device, real-time analysis and data filtering
- Identification of rare and critical driving scenarios
- Reduced storage and bandwidth consumption
- Easy deployment and real-time model monitoring
- Accelerated training cycles for autonomous AI
As the autonomous vehicle race intensifies, LightlyEdge positions itself as a pivotal enabler for automotive manufacturers seeking faster, leaner, and smarter AI innovation.
