Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) unveiled its latest innovations in
autonomous driving at “China Speed” on stage at CES 2018 in Las
Vegas, including the release of Apollo 2.0, the latest iteration
and most robust version yet of the company’s Apollo open autonomous
driving platform. At its press conference, “Baidu World @ Las Vegas
2018” on Monday, Baidu announced its Apollo platform has brought
together more than 90 partners, and revealed collaborative progress
with global companies such as Udacity, Microsoft and TomTom.
“Apollo is an example of ‘China Speed’,
demonstrating the rapid pace of China's innovations and development
in the global autonomous driving industry,” said Qi Lu, Group
President and COO of Baidu. "AI and innovation are borderless.
We’re facing a historic moment with immense opportunities for
people around the world, which requires big countries and great
enterprises, including China and Baidu, to lead and explore
together. We are very pleased to be at the center of this
large-scale innovation and stand together with each partner at the
forefront of this momentous time.”
"Open platforms and ecosystems are the best way
to accelerate the transition of AI technologies toward
commercialization," Lu added. "Based upon this idea, Apollo has
emerged as the world’s most open, complete, and powerful autonomous
driving ecosystem."
Baidu Reveals Apollo 2.0, the Most Robust
Version of the Apollo Platform to Date
Apollo 2.0 brings the most complete solution and
flexible architecture to partners and developers yet, with an added
security solution for autonomous driving, and greatly enhanced
capabilities in positioning, perception, planning and control, and
cloud simulation. The suite of technologies and solutions makes
autonomous driving in simple urban road conditions a reality.
This latest Apollo iteration marks the opening
up of all four of the platform’s major modules - cloud services,
software platforms, reference hardware platforms and reference
vehicle platforms. The Apollo platform is highly dynamic—so far it
has amassed more than 165,000 lines of code and approximately
65,000 lines are added each quarter.
Baidu said that it will fully support four main
computing platforms -- NVIDIA, Intel, NXP and Renesas in 2018;
introduce a more cost-effective sensor solution; support more
reference vehicles such as minibuses, SUVs and trucks; and provide
a wider range of high-definition map services worldwide.
AutonomouStuff, a U.S. startup supplying
autonomous system components, used Apollo 1.0 to create waypoint
autonomous vehicles last July and upgraded the vehicles to Apollo
2.0 within one week, enabling daytime and nighttime driving on
simple urban roads, fully demonstrating the flexibility and
usability of Apollo 2.0.
“Apollo is more than just open-sourcing code and
technology – it is evolving from technology innovation to product
innovation and enabling more implementation scenarios,” said Jingao
Wang, Head of Apollo Platform and Senior Director of Baidu.
At the event, Baidu showcased partners’
applications of Apollo in a variety of mobility scenarios such as
passenger vehicles, public buses and shared transport services.
Baidu announced that it is working with Access Services, a US
public paratransit services provider, to launch a pilot project in
Los Angeles to provide short route autonomous vehicle services for
persons with disabilities and the senior communities by the end of
2018.
Baidu has previously announced plans to work
with partners on mass-producing autonomous vehicles. Chery
Automotive, together with Baidu, will mass produce Level 3
autonomous vehicles by 2020, and Baidu also plans to mass-produce
driverless buses for designated areas by the end of July 2018 with
Chinese bus manufacturer King Long.
Global Partnerships and Talent Programs
to Accelerate Innovation
Apollo has gathered more than 90 partners,
including some of the world’s leading forces in autonomous driving.
Representatives from Apollo’s global partners, including Udacity,
Microsoft and TomTom, announced their cooperation plans with Baidu
on Monday.
Microsoft Azure will provide intelligent cloud
services in markets outside of China for the Apollo platform and
its partners, with Apollo’s simulation functions available first on
Azure to global customers. TomTom's HD maps will be pre-integrated
into Apollo, enabling developers to access TomTom’s latest HD maps
data and to accelerate the production of autonomous driving. Baidu
and Udacity also jointly announced the launch of Apollo’s
autonomous driving online courses, which is designed to lower the
research and development barrier to entry in the industry.
“By incorporating Apollo 2.0 into the Udacity
online course, Baidu is taking the initiative to help close the
global AI talent gap problem,” said Sebastian Thrun, founder and
president of Udacity, who also co-founded Google’s autonomous
vehicle project.
“Baidu is using AI technology to break
geographical boundaries. Apollo belongs to not only China, but to
the rest of the world,” said Ya-Qin Zhang, President of Baidu.
Apollo announced its first overseas expansion on
Monday into Singapore, following a joint venture and newly
established $200 million fund, named “Apollo Southeast Asia,”
between Baidu and Singapore technology conglomerate Asia Mobility
Industries (AMI). The joint venture will focus on the full spectrum
of autonomous driving and intelligent transportation through direct
investment into advanced mobility projects, technology exchange,
the establishment of research programs, and the commercialization
of Baidu’s autonomous driving technologies in the region. Through
the fund, Apollo Southeast Asia aims to attract strategic partners
to join the Apollo open autonomous driving platform.
Baidu also launched the Apollo Global Institute
on Monday, in a bid to further promote the growth of global
autonomous driving talent by leveraging Baidu’s technology centers
in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Silicon Valley and Seattle.
To learn more about Baidu’s Apollo technology and
product line-up, please visit Baidu’s CES booths at CES Tech East
(#25308 in South Hall 2 and #7913 in North Hall).
About Baidu
Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language
Internet search provider. Baidu aims to make a complex world
simpler through technology. Baidu's ADSs trade on the NASDAQ Global
Select Market under the symbol "BIDU". Currently, ten ADSs
represent one Class A ordinary share.
Media ContactBaidu
International CommunicationsIntlcomm@baidu.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/05b2d074-6a8f-4377-9271-1368e08c5185
Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024