Baidu announced the Apollo open platform to help create a group dedicated to bringing self-driving vehicle technology to the world. The company currently has over fifty partners in the program which it calls “The Android of Autonomous” driving. Companies participating in the software program include, universities, Continental, Bosch, Chinese automakers, Intel Daimler, Delphi, Ford, TomTom, Velodyne, NVIDIA, NIO, AutonomouStuff and others.
Bosch will participate in Baidu “Apollo (Apollo) program” providing sensors, related hardware and vehicle location services.
The Apollo program is an open, complete and secure software platform for Baidu’s partners in the automotive industry for automatic driving, including a complete set of hardware, software and software systems. The kinds of software include vehicle platforms, hardware platforms, software platforms, cloud data services And so on four parts.
In the program, Baidu will open the environment and provide a complete development of test tools. Apollo developer resources include HD Maps, Simulation, Data, Security, OTA, MAP Engine, Control and End-to-End. The hardware supported includes
- Computer GPUs
- GPS
- Cameras
- LiDAR
- RADAR
- HMI Devices
- Black Boxes
Driverless cars and intelligent driving requires many participants to make great effort.
Artificial intelligence technology is Baidu’s core competitiveness, Bosch is Germany’s leading technology and service providers, the two sides together, will work together to promote the intelligent upgrade of the automotive industry, to create intelligent and unmanned vehicles, the new ecosystem The
Baidu is particularly critical in automatic driving, cloud computing, large data, artificial intelligence and other fields, has many years of R & D investment. Currentlyl, Baidu has a number of auto-related core technologies such as environmental perception, behavior prediction, planning control, intelligent interconnection, vehicle hardware, human-computer interaction and so on. At the same time, Baidu will also provide strategic cooperation to automate the necessary complete hardware and software and service solutions.
Previously, in May, Baidu and Continental signed an agreement in Berlin, Germany, and Mr. Frank Jourdan, President of Lu Qi and Continental Executive Board, President of Chassis and Security Division.
“Intelligent technology is one of the largest industry opportunities,” said Lu Qi, “We are committed to working with the Continental Group,”
In the future, Baidu will continue to work with more vendors to explore new modes of cooperation, and strive to build a new commercial ecology of automatic driving and smart cars.
Microsoft along with Bosch and Continental, working with Baidu as part of this large-scale alliance determined to help kick start the next vehicle and travel evolution of connected autonmous.
Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform will help supply global scale and reach for Baidu’s Apollo corroborative efforts outside of China.
Automotive companies such as BMW, Ford , and Toyota currently work with Microsoft to utilize its cloud tech in order to help with predictive maintenance, voice-controls, and driver assistance features. Microsoft’s cloud platforms offer these car companies the ability to store massive amounts of vehicle data, analyze the information, and turn it into actionable results.
Baidu’s COO Qi Lu referred to the Apollo self-driving alliance as the “Android of the autonomous driving industry.”