Qasar Younis, CEO and Peter Ludwig, CTO, Co-Founders of Applied Intuition joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss why Applied Intuition continues to be one of the most interesting companies in autonomy.

The conversation explores Applied Intuition’s growing portfolio of partnerships, including a major deal with Komatsu and the launch of their new SDS (self-driving system for automotive). Qasar and Peter share how first-principles thinking, diversification across verticals, and a relentless focus on engineering have allowed the company to expand while continually de-risking the business.

As OEMs weigh the long-running build-versus-buy debate around autonomous driving systems, China’s automakers are rapidly advancing their capabilities with a strong emphasis on in-vehicle software. From Tesla’s software-driven model to legacy OEMs navigating the transition to software-defined vehicles, this episode of The Road to Autonomy highlights how Applied Intuition’s Vehicle OS and SDS offerings are designed to meet automakers where they are today, while positioning them for what’s next.

In a future where software increasingly defines brand and customer experience, Applied Intuition is building the infrastructure that will power both vehicles and autonomy. 

Episode Chapters

0:00 What’s Next for Applied Intuition? 

1:44 Self-Driving for Automotive (SDS)

7:15 Managing Risks

12:45 Komatsu Partnership

16:32 Breakthrough Technology 

21:38 Vehicle OS

23:48 OpenAI Partnership

25:05 L2/L2+ Demand

32:42 Licensing Autonomous Driving Systems

35:18 Maintaining SDS

42:50 Cadillac

44:09 Does Software Defines a Brand? 

46:10 Planning for Automotive Software 

49:29 What’s Next

Recorded on Friday, September 5, 2025

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