Validation deepens AEye's collaboration with NVIDIA as the company continues to advance its next-generation transportation roadmap

AEye, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIDR), a global leader in software-defined, high-performance lidar solutions, today announced that its flagship Apollo™ lidar sensor has been validated on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor™, the compute platform anchoring the next generation of NVIDIA-native autonomous vehicles and physical AI systems.

"This technical milestone is a significant statement about AEye’s increasingly favorable competitive position to address the large next-generation transportation market opportunity," said Matt Fisch, AEye CEO and Chairman. "OEMs are consolidating around platforms like NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor™, and being validated on it puts us squarely in the conversations that matter for the next generation of autonomous platforms. It reflects the credibility we've built with NVIDIA and reinforces the confidence transportation-focused customers can have in AEye as a long-term sensing partner."

"Our work with NVIDIA now spans two of NVIDIA’s flagship automotive compute platforms, along with our membership in the NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab, a program that inspects partner products against a unified set of functional safety, cybersecurity, AI safety, and regulatory requirements," continued Mr. Fisch. "This track record positions AEye among a select group of lidar companies that have proven they can operate at the technical standard OEMs are converging on. As a result, our commercial pipeline opportunity continues to gain momentum."

Apollo™ is validated on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor™, and with sensor-to-compute interoperability confirmed against NVIDIA DriveOS, placing AEye as a sensor partner in the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion Ecosystem. OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers building on the NVIDIA DRIVE platform can source Apollo™ as a pre-qualified sensor, reducing integration risk and shortening the path from system design to deployment.

About AEye

AEye offers a suite of unique software-defined lidar solutions that address a wide range of real-world needs including advanced driver-assistance, vehicle autonomy, smart infrastructure, security, defense, and logistics applications. AEye’s flagship product, Apollo™, has been widely recognized for its small form factor and its ability to detect objects at up to one kilometer. In addition to Apollo™, AEye also offers STRATOS™ with the ability to detect objects at up to one-and-a-half kilometers as well as a full-stack solution through its OPTIS™ platform. OPTIS™ provides a complete system that captures a high-resolution 3D image of the world, interprets it, and provides direction to act upon what it sees in real-time.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are sometimes accompanied by words such as "believe," "continue," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "predict," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "potential," "seem," "seek," "outlook," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends, or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements about the benefits anticipated to result from the validation of Apollo™ on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor™ and from AEye’s broader collaboration with NVIDIA, AEye’s competitive position in the next-generation transportation market, the anticipated consolidation of OEMs around next-generation compute platforms, the benefits anticipated from AEye’s participation in the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion Ecosystem and the NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab, the momentum of AEye’s commercial pipeline opportunity, and the ability of OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to source Apollo™ as a pre-qualified sensor with reduced integration risk and a shortened path from system design to deployment. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by an investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are very difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from the assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AEye. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) the risks that the validation of Apollo™ on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor™, or AEye’s broader collaboration with NVIDIA, may not yield the benefits to AEye to the extent or in the time frame anticipated, or at all; (ii) the risks that the validation, sensor-to-compute interoperability with NVIDIA DriveOS, or AEye’s participation in the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion Ecosystem may not result in customer engagements, design wins, definitive agreements, or commercial relationships with OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers, or otherwise contribute to AEye’s commercial pipeline, to the extent anticipated, or at all; (iii) the risks that OEMs may not consolidate around NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor™ or similar compute platforms to the extent anticipated, or at all, or that OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers building on such platforms may select sensing solutions other than Apollo™; (iv) the risks that sourcing Apollo™ as a pre-qualified sensor may not reduce integration risk or shorten the path from system design to deployment to the extent anticipated, or at all; (v) the risks that AEye’s participation in the NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab may not yield the anticipated benefits, or that AEye’s products may not continue to satisfy the functional safety, cybersecurity, AI safety, or regulatory requirements against which partner products are inspected; (vi) the risks that Apollo™ may not deliver long-range, real-time 3D perception performance to the extent anticipated, or at all, or that changes to NVIDIA’s platforms, requirements, or ecosystem programs may adversely affect Apollo’s™ validated status or interoperability; (vii) the risks that lidar adoption may occur slower than anticipated or fail to occur at all; (viii) the risks that AEye’s products may not meet the diverse range of performance and functional requirements of target markets and customers; (ix) the risks that AEye’s products may not function as anticipated by AEye, or by target markets and customers; (x) the risks that AEye may not be in a position to adequately or timely address either the near or long-term opportunities that may or may not exist in the evolving autonomous transportation industry; (xi) the risks that laws and regulations are adopted impacting the use of lidar that AEye is unable to comply with, in whole or in part; (xii) the risks associated with changes in competitive and regulated industries in which AEye operates, variations in operating performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting AEye’s business; (xiii) the risks that AEye is unable to adequately implement its business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify and realize additional opportunities; and (xiv) the risks of economic downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in the highly competitive and evolving industry in which AEye operates. These risks and uncertainties may be amplified by current or future global conflicts and current and potential trade restrictions, trade tensions, and tariffs, all of which continue to cause economic uncertainty. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of the periodic report that AEye has most recently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and other documents filed by us or that will be filed by us from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made.

Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements; AEye assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. AEye gives no assurance that AEye will achieve any of its expectations.

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