Baidu Signs Agreement with Bosch and Continental on self-driving tech

Chinese internet firm, Baidu has signed a partnership agreement with two leading German companies as part of its drive to develop self-driving technology. The company will work with Continental and Bosch to work not only on automated driving, but also on connected cars in general and mobility services.

Continental and Bosch leading suppliers to the auto industry suppliers and are known for their focus on research and innovation. While Baidu will bring to the partnership its expertise in machine learning and computer intelligence tech, Bosch and Continental will pitch in with their expertise in the hardware component and systems integration aspect of autonomous systems.

Bosch is a Tier 1 supplier to leading auto brands including Mercedes-Benz and though Continental is known mostly for its tires, it also has a strong division that works on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and sensors used in automated driving.

Bosch has been working on automated driving technologies from 2011. Bosch will be providing sensors, other hardware components and vehicle localization support for Baidu’s Apollo open autonomous driving platform.

Baidu had set up Apollo to commercialize its self-driving tech, and will be aiming to make the platform available to OEs and other players in the auto industry so that that they would have access to off-the-shelf vehicle autonomy while focusing on their core competency of actually making vehicles.