The autonomous vehicle race is heating up in a big way. Word on the street is that major automakers are gearing up to push self-driving tech to the next stage—think Level 4 capabilities where cars handle themselves in most scenarios without human babysitting.

What's interesting here? The supply chain is getting serious upgrades. LiDAR manufacturers and sensor tech providers are ramping production like crazy, betting big on mass adoption hitting sooner than expected. Industry insiders say 2025-2026 could be the inflection point when we see actual commercial rollouts beyond test zones.

This isn't just about transportation anymore—it's infrastructure, data networks, edge computing. All pieces that could eventually tie into decentralized systems. When vehicles become nodes in smart city grids, that's when things get really wild. Keep an eye on the hardware players making moves now. They're building the backbone for what comes next.