LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Nissan ( NSANF ) and UK

software firm Monolith said on Friday they have extended their

partnership using artificial intelligence to reduce vehicle

physical testing as the Japanese automaker pushes to slash

development times for new cars.

The extension comes after Monolith and Nissan ( NSANF ) successfully

used AI to cut the physical testing time for tightening bolts on

the chassis of the new electric Nissan Leaf - which will also be

applied to future models in Europe.

It also comes as legacy automakers like Nissan ( NSANF ) are trying to

slash vehicle development times from an average of around five

years and catch up with Chinese rivals which can roll out a new

model in as little as 18 months.

"We're very aware of the Chinese development time," Emma

Deutsch, director for customer orientated engineering and test

operations at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe, told Reuters.

"We've got to get vehicles to market quicker."

Squeezed by falling U.S. and China car sales, Nissan ( NSANF ) has

been laying off workers and closing plants to turn itself

around.

AI data centre operator Coreweave ( CRWV ) said earlier this

month it would acquire Monolith to help customers shorten R&D

cycles.

Deutsch said by applying Monolith's AI to physical test data

dating all the way back to the UK launch of the Nissan Micra

small hatchback in 1992, the automaker was able to cut

"massively time-consuming" bolt tightening tests to five months

from six.

She added that she hopes for future models those tests could

be halved to three months.

Deutsch said Nissan ( NSANF ) is now working with Monolith on projects

to reduce test times for tyres and batteries with more expected.

Chinese EV maker Nio is also using Monolith's AI

to test and improve car battery packs.

By applying AI across more processes, Deutsch said she hopes

to cut overall testing for new Nissan ( NSANF ) vehicles by 20%.