Chinese search engine giant Baidu and Shouqi Limousine & Chauffeur, a car-hailing operator, are joining up to develop driverless vehicles, said Reuters.
Baidu will supply Shouqi with the tools it needs for both its existing business and driverless cars, including map services, its Apollo autonomous platform and its conversational AI platform DuerOS. In return, Shouqi will supply Baidu with high-precision maps.
Baidu will also offer software and hardware solutions such as the “DuerOS” and “Apollo platform” to Shouqi to help it develop autonomous vehicles.
“DuerOS is an AI platform that provides tools for developers looking to quickly build intelligent devices that anyone can interact with, primarily through voice and natural language conversation,” according to Lu Qi, Baidu chief operating officer.
“The Apollo platform provides a software and hardware solution to specific partners and will help their vehicles navigate the roads using AI technology,” Lu said. “In the future, customers will enjoy a smart travel experience brought by the self-driving cars.”
Baidu recently signed an agreement with BAIC Group to mass produce level 4 autonomous vehicles by 2021. It is targeting mass production of autonomous buses with King Long by 2018.
