Italy’s Pirelli buys 30% of Sweden’s Univrses to boost AI tyre tech

April 29 (Reuters) – Italian tyremaker Pirelli on Wednesday signed a partnership deal with Swedish company Univrses and acquired a 30% stake in the firm, with an option to reach a majority stake, to integrate AI-based computer vision technologies into its Cyber Tyre system, the companies said in a joint statement.

The agreement combines Univrses’ 3DAI technologies with Pirelli’s sensor-equipped tyre system to enhance vehicle safety and autonomous driving capabilities while providing real-time road infrastructure monitoring data to authorities.

• Deal integrates Univrses’ computer vision AI into Pirelli’s Cyber Tyre platform for enhanced road monitoring and autonomous driving applications

• Cyber Tyre system collects data from sensors inside tyres and communicates in real time with vehicle electronics and cloud systems

• Univrses’ 3DAI Engine provides autonomous vehicles with 3D positioning, mapping, and spatial deep learning capabilities

• Technology aims to help road authorities make better resource deployment decisions and potentially reduce road accidents

• Pirelli and Southern Italian Puglia Region launched road network monitoring project in 2025 using both companies technology

• The two companies did not disclose the financial details of the deal

• Pirelli has been embroiled in a governance spat between its Italian and Chinese shareholders, due to concerns that the company may fall victims to U.S. rules restricting the use of Chinese technologies in the automotive sector

(Reporting by Romolo Tosiani in Gdansk, Giulio Piovaccari in Milan; Editing by Matt Scuffham)