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Tag: self-driving vehicles

  • Baidu Will Deploy Driverless Taxis in China

    Baidu Will Deploy Driverless Taxis in China

    Baidu is poised to become the first company to deploy driverless taxis in China after winning regulatory approval.

    Companies around the world are racing to develop and deploy driverless vehicles. Baidu just achieved a major step, gaining approval to operate driverless taxis in Wuhan and Chongqing, according to The Boston Globe.

    The company plans to work with additional cities, such as Beijing and Guangzhou, to gain approval to operate there as well.

    “It’s as if we’ve landed on the moon and built a base there,” said Wei Dong, vice-president of Baidu Intelligence Driving Group. “It’s just a matter of time for us to go to Mars or even beyond our solar system.”

    As the Globe points out, Baidu has been aggressively expanding from its search engine roots to artificial intelligence and self-driving vehicles. If the company is as successful with its driverless taxis as it has been in the search engine industry, it could quickly dominate the field in China.

  • Microsoft Invests In Cruise, GM’s Self-Driving Subsidiary

    Microsoft Invests In Cruise, GM’s Self-Driving Subsidiary

    As part of a new $2 billion round of funding, Microsoft has invested in Cruise, GM’s self-driving subsidiary, sending GM’s stock up 9%.

    Headquartered in San Francisco, Cruise’s mission is to bring all-electric, self-driving, shared vehicles to the market. The investment will see Microsoft become the preferred cloud provider for Cruise, as it leverages Azure to help commercialize its vehicle offerings.

    “Our mission to bring safer, better, and more affordable transportation to everyone isn’t just a tech race – it’s also a trust race,” said Cruise CEO Dan Ammann. “Microsoft, as the gold standard in the trustworthy democratization of technology, will be a force multiplier for us as we commercialize our fleet of self-driving, all-electric, shared vehicles.”

    “Advances in digital technology are redefining every aspect of our work and life, including how we move people and goods,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “As Cruise and GM’s preferred cloud, we will apply the power of Azure to help them scale and make autonomous transportation mainstream.”

    This latest round of investment brings Cruise’s total valuation to $30 billion. Meanwhile, GM’s stock reached an all-new, intraday high on the news, hitting $54.42 after the opening bell.

  • Microsoft AI Virtual Summit Scheduled For June 2

    Microsoft AI Virtual Summit Scheduled For June 2

    Microsoft has announced a virtual AI summit with company executives and industry leaders, scheduled for June 2.

    Artificial intelligence has become one of the most important developing technologies, with companies large and small looking to make their mark. AI is seen as one of the pivotal pieces necessary for a number of industries to take shape, or to evolve to the next level. Multiple companies are working on AI-powered, self-driving vehicles that can make the kind of life-and-death decisions human drivers have been making for decades.

    In day-to-day businesses, AI is playing an increasingly important role in online moderation, search interpretation, content curation, supply chains and much more. AI is taking steps toward content creation and learning to display empathy and personality. In recent months, AI has even played a significant role in combatting the coronavirus pandemic, helping authorities monitor citizens and enforce social distancing.

    With AI playing such an important role in so many industries, Microsoft’s summit will focus on discussing how companies can navigate the challenges that come with developing AI.

    “Join Microsoft and industry leaders for a summit dedicated to thinking big about the critical role of artificial intelligence to help us navigate through these unprecedented times,” reads the announcement. “Every day, AI is proving its value in addressing massive change, disruption and unpredictability as well as enabling business continuity, greater agility and efficiencies. And there’s never been a better time to put AI into action in your organization. We’ll share timely and relevant examples of how customers are using AI to respond and recover from recent challenges and move forward with game-changing solutions to pressing business, government, education, civic, social and health issues.

    “This interactive gathering brings together prominent leaders to discuss the extraordinary possibilities of AI and practical steps to drive lasting impact.”

    Interested parties are encouraged to register for the summit now.

  • California DMV Grants Uber Permit to Test Self-Driving Cars

    California DMV Grants Uber Permit to Test Self-Driving Cars

    The California DMV has granted Uber a permit to test its vehicles on California roads, according to The Mercury News.

    Self-driving cars are increasingly seen as a way for Uber to deal with regulation that threatens how it does business. In Germany, the company was recently banned from transporting customers using rental vehicles after previously being blocked from matching riders with drivers using their own vehicles. In California, Uber is facing additional challenges as a result of Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) that changes the status of contractors to that of employees, requiring companies like Uber to offer additional benefits and thereby driving up costs.

    Self-driving cars would solve these and other problems and potentially streamline long-term costs for Uber. The company has previously tested self-driving vehicles, with a car the company was testing notoriously striking and killing a pedestrian in Arizona.

    The Mercury News is reporting that “the DMV said that it granted the permit to Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group after the company ‘fulfilled all the requirements to receive a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California with a safety driver behind the wheel.’ The DMV also said that Uber presented documentation that showed changes it made to its autonomous vehicle testing program and testing guidelines.”

    There is no timetable for the cars to see widespread use, with Uber indicating it is in no hurry to deploy the vehicles.

  • Walmart and Nuro Partner For Autonomous Grocery Delivery in Texas

    Walmart and Nuro Partner For Autonomous Grocery Delivery in Texas

    Walmart and Nuro have partnered to bring driverless grocery delivery to Houston, Texas, according to an announcement Nuro posted on Medium.

    Nuro is a robotics company specializing in electric, self-driving vehicles. The company already operates a delivery service in Houston for Kroger. In their blog post, Nuro emphasized the benefits of working with Walmart, a company that revolutionized the supply chain and retail experience.

    The service will be available to a select group of pilot customers at first.

    “Nuro’s self-driving technology and fleet will power this pilot with Walmart to provide customers in Houston with another innovative, accessible option for getting the groceries they need day-to-day.

    “To start, self-driving deliveries will be available to a pilot group of participants who have opted in to try the service, teaching us more about how to best serve those customers. Through the pilot, we’ll gain insights that will enable us to further develop and refine our service, while helping Walmart create the best end-to-end customer experiences.

    “At Nuro, we believe in the power for self-driving technology to support and improve local commerce, and see this technology as a key part of our future. We’re working to expand our footprint in Houston, to maximize the impact of our delivery platform for the community at city-scale. Throughout 2019, we’ve been building toward this objective, and this partnership represents another step forward.”

    Should the Nuro/Walmart venture prove successful, it’s a safe bet communities around the country may start getting their groceries delivered this way.