The homepage of the Innoviz Technologies’ website. Photo: Screenshot.

SoftBank-backed Innoviz Technologies, which makes sensors for self-driving vehicles, said on Wednesday it had partnered with China’s Shaanxi Heavy Duty Automobile Co to deploy 600 autonomous trucks at one of the biggest ports in China.

The company’s remote sensing technology, lidar, which uses pulsed laser light as a radar uses radio waves, is seen by experts as a crucial element for self-driving vehicles.

Israel-based Innoviz, backed by tech and auto-parts suppliers Aptiv Plc and Magna International Inc respectively, was founded in 2016. The company had raised $170 million in a private investment round in June last year.

Innoviz had also forged a deal with BMW in 2018 to supply lidar-equipped cars in 2021.