Rome, 13 April 2026
FS Group is investing in Italy’s push for autonomous driving, by taking part in the €38 million deal finalised by Niulinx, a Politecnico di Milano’s spin-off, stemming from AI research applied to mobility. The operation – the biggest of its kind in Italy – is led by A2A and CDP Venture Capital. The capital also includes AFL, Pirelli, VC Partners SGR, MOST – Centro Nazionale per la Mobilità Sostenibile, the ICO Falck Foundation, and international individual investors.
This is a first for FS: for the Company, this is the first venture capital investment ever, betting on a technology that will likely reshape mobility, and willing to support the growth of a European leader in autonomous driving.
“Technological innovation promotes the evolution of mobility systems - said Massimiliano Garri, Chief Technology, Innovation and Digital Officer at FS Italiane Group – and autonomous driving is one of the most significant courses of development. By taking part in this initiative, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group reiterates its commitment to developing advanced solutions, whilst recognising the human factor - the wealth of expertise, responsibility and safety culture that characterises railway workers, and which remains central to innovation processes - as a key element. With this in mind, we are promoting the growth of a national industrial ecosystem that can compete at European and international level.”
Today’s context explains this acceleration: the autonomous driving sector is currently worth over $50 billion globally and, according to estimates, it could exceed $300 billion by 2035. The United States and China can already count on several industrial leaders between their ranks. While in Europe no one can currently compete on a continental scale. Niulinx was founded with this ambition in mind, and with a “European” approach, as it focuses on regulatory- and security-first framework and efficient development right from the onset, and a growth model based on partnerships with local operators, and possible franchising options.
The start-up is developing the complete stack required to operate a driverless vehicle: space perception, route planning, vehicle control and remote fleet management. The technology has been developed by the AIDA – Artificial Intelligence Driving Autonomous – research group at the Politecnico di Milano, led by Professor Sergio Matteo Savaresi, Head of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering. And the approval process to bring self-driving vehicles on European roads is already underway.
Niulinx’s project is based on precedent on-road trials. In 2025, in Brescia, a pilot project launched by the A2A Group, the Politecnico di Milano and MOST – Centro Nazionale per la Mobilità Sostenibile - tested a new car-sharing model: an e-vehicle that can reach its users independently, allow them to drive to their destination, and then head back to a wireless charging station or to a new customer. The trial has become the technological and industrial foundation upon which the new company is now basing its research.
The investment will fund Niulinx’s technological and industrial growth in three key areas:
- Completion of the autonomous driving stack and the European type-approval process.
- Team expansion to reach over 100 engineers and data scientists.
- Roll-out of the development model through local operators in key European markets, starting with Germany.