German carmaker Audi AG has partnered with autonomous vehicle simulation platform provider Cognata Ltd to advance the development of autonomous vehicles, the Israel-based startup announced Tuesday.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Audi, through its self-driving car unit Autonomous Intelligent Driving GmbH (AID), is the first major carmaker to enter a multi-year partnership with the Israeli company. Cognata’s simulation platform virtually recreates real-world cities and provides a range of testing scenarios, including realistic traffic mapping.

“At AID, we are convinced that simulation is a key tool to increase our development speed and a necessary one for the validation of our product and for proving it is safe,” AID Chief Technology Officer Alex Haag said.

“After exploring various solutions, we decided that partnering with Cognata is the fastest way to reach these goals,” Haag added.

The AID-Cognata deal was announced at a time when Israel’s defense technology is being redeployed in the development of driverless cars. The same technology has allowed the Israeli military to drive tanks, guide and intercept missiles, as well as keeping its computer systems secure.

Last year, Israeli auto tech startups raised $814 million, only slightly behind the $1.2 billion raised by U.S.-based companies. Among the international firms that are setting up development centers or startups in Israel are U.S. chipmaker Intel, German auto supplier Continental, Samsung, Daimler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors.

Cognata’s investors include Maniv Mobility – a car technology fund backed by Jaguar Land Rover and French auto parts maker Valeo – planemaker Airbus’ venture capital fund Airbus Ventures and Tel-Aviv based early-stage venture capital firm Emerge.

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