Self-driving cars to race for $1.5 million at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

One factor that could prevent a similar outcome in the upcoming race is the ability to test-run cars on a virtual racetrack. The simulation software company Ansys Inc. has already developed a model of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on which teams will test their algorithms as part of a series of qualifying rounds. "We can create, with physics, multiple real-life scenarios that are reflective of the real world," Ansys President Ajei Gopal told The Wall Street Journal. "We can use that to train the AI, so it starts to come up to speed." Still, the race could reveal that self-driving cars aren't quite ready to race at speeds of over 110 mph.