Waymo Open Dataset: Sharing our self-driving data for research

Data is a critical ingredient for machine learning. Our vehicles have collected over 10 million autonomous miles in 25 cities; this rich and diverse set of real world experiences has helped our engineers and researchers develop Waymo’s self-driving technology and innovative models and algorithms. Today, we are inviting the research community to join us with… Continue reading Waymo Open Dataset: Sharing our self-driving data for research

Waymo: Building Cars is a “Distraction” From Self-Driving Tech – Futurism

Different Priorities When it comes to building and perfecting the self-driving car, some companies have elected to build a full vehicle from the ground up, like how Tesla is inching toward autonomous tech as it develops new car models. Others, Like Uber, are using other companies’ vehicles as hosts for their self-driving technology. Waymo, the… Continue reading Waymo: Building Cars is a “Distraction” From Self-Driving Tech – Futurism

Russia’s Yandex Accelerates Driverless Car Testing – Insurance Journal

Article 0 Comments Yandex, a Russian equivalent to Google, said it is considering expanding its fleet of self-driving cars to up to 1,000 within the next two years in order to speed up tests on the fledgling technology. Yandex hopes to start testing more than 100 of its self-driving cars on roads by the end… Continue reading Russia’s Yandex Accelerates Driverless Car Testing – Insurance Journal

Voyage’s driverless future, ghost work, B2B growth strategies, and Black Hat takeaways – TechCrunch

Inside Voyage’s plan to deliver a driverless future In the autonomous vehicle space, startups have taken radically different strategies to building our AV future. Some companies like Waymo have driven all across different types of environments in order to rack up the datasets that they believe will be needed to effectively maneuver without a human… Continue reading Voyage’s driverless future, ghost work, B2B growth strategies, and Black Hat takeaways – TechCrunch

Lidar company Velodyne is suing two Chinese suppliers over IP – Quartz

China’s vision of profiting from the driverless economy is being clouded by intellectual property debates, as two Chinese suppliers of a key self-driving technology are accused of stealing IP from a Silicon Valley company. Velodyne, the world’s largest producer of lidar—a radar-like sensor technology that uses lasers instead of radio waves—has brought patent infringement complaints… Continue reading Lidar company Velodyne is suing two Chinese suppliers over IP – Quartz

Chinese rideshare giant Didi Chuxing makes big move in driverless car race

A logo of ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing displayed on a building in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province.STR | AFP | Getty ImagesChinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing ( “Didi”) has amassed more than 550 million users and 31 million drivers since taking to the streets of Beijing seven years ago. In the past three years, the global rideshare giant has devoted close attention to its autonomous driving unit. That unit became an independent company on Monday in a move designed to focus and designate more resources toward business development and product innovation.
The Uber-competitor established its autonomous driving team in 2016 and has since employed more than 200 people in China, as well as at its Mountain View, California research facility, where it has been working with various auto manufacturers like Volkswagen and Toyota Motors to test core innovative technologies.
Last month, Didi Chuxing received $600 million in corporate financing from Toyota, which includes directly establishing a joint venture with GAC Toyota, a joint venture between Toyota and a Chinese car maker. The new funds come as Didi continues heavy expansion in several new overseas markets, where it hopes to challenge Uber and other ride-hailing giants like India's Ola, Brazil's Easy Taxi and Singapore's Grab ⁠— a three-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company.
Didi Chuxing is also a notable Disruptor 50 company, breaking the top 10 at No. 4 in 2018 and No. 2 in 2019.
“Autonomous driving will greatly enhance the safety and efficiency of travel,” said Didi Chairman and CEO Cheng Wei in a release. “In the future, people's transportation needs … will be met by the combination of seamless autonomous driving technology and human driving services that are indispensable for their quality and warmth.”
To fund the new driverless car company, Didi is in new talks with SoftBank, according to a report from The Information. The Japanese tech and telecom giant has previously made multiple, large investments in the ride-hailing company. Based on the most recent funding round, Didi Chuxing has raised $22.74 billion and is valued at $57.6 billion.
In 2016, the same year that Didi's autonomous driving unit was established, SoftBank played an influential role in Uber's decision to sell its China business to Didi, notably pushing the U.S. ride-hailing giant out of the region and exposing Didi to their customer base outside of China for the first time.
Investors want clearer profit pathAsad Hussain, a PitchBook analyst and an expert in mobility, ride-sharing and autonomous vehicles, sees the company's decision as part of a broader trend consistent with the challenges that self-driving technology presents.
“Spinning out autonomous divisions enables these companies to raise outside capital and offers investors a more targeted bet on self-driving relative to investing in the parent entity,” he said. “We think this is a logical move for Didi and other ride-sharing companies facing pressure from investors to streamline costs and show a clear path to profitability.”
Didi went through a major round of layoffs earlier this year, according to multiple reports, as it continues to lose money, like its competitors. Uber recently announced 400 job cuts in its marketing team.
Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle unit, also announced that it would raise outside capital for the first time this past March, positioning itself to cut costs and limit downside risks.
Didi's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will head the new autonomous driving company as CEO. In an email to CNBC, a communications representative for Didi said that the company does not currently have plans for an IPO.
Uber and Lyft, the U.S. rideshare leaders with heavy investments in driverless vehicles, have fared poorly after highly anticipated IPOs earlier this year as investors doubt how quickly they can become profitable.
VIDEO2:4902:49There will be consolidation in the driverless car industry: Pony.aiSquawk Box AsiaIn a recent survey, auto and tech industry experts predicted it will be at least 12 years before fully autonomous vehicles are being sold to private buyers. While Tesla CEO Elon Musk says 1 million Teslas capable of being robotaxis will be on the road by the end of next year, industry experts say robotaxis will not be ready for widespread public use until 2025.
Last week, General Motors subsidiary Cruise, postponed a planned launch of an autonomous ride-share service as it continues developing, validating and making sure its self-driving cars are ready.
“What's most important when we do launch this service is that we do it the right way,” Cruise CEO Dan Ammann said.

US government quietly kills autonomous vehicle committee

Sponsored Links AkaratPhasura via Getty Images The Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation (ACAT) hasn’t been active since it was formed in 2017. And it won’t be active anytime in the future, because according to The Verge, the administration has quietly killed it without even telling its members. Under President Obama, the… Continue reading US government quietly kills autonomous vehicle committee

Didi Chuxing’s autonomous driving unit is now an independent company

Didi Chuxing’s autonomous driving unit is now an independent company, the Chinese ride-sharing and transportation giant said today. Didi’s autonomous driving team was created in 2016 and now has more than 200 employees in China and the United States. Didi’s announcement comes about a month after The Information reported that Didi was in talks with… Continue reading Didi Chuxing’s autonomous driving unit is now an independent company

Autonomous driving and the issue of willingness to pay

Depending on the form in which the autonomous driving comes on the road, depending on the cost will be. So suppose the vehicles were technically so far and could be approved. What would that look like? The business models for the autonomous driving are still being developed. The question is whether it as well private… Continue reading Autonomous driving and the issue of willingness to pay