How Baidu plans to profit from its free autonomous-car technology
The Chinese tech giant will sell off-the-shelf hardware to companies that are seeking straightforward ways to automate cars.
Background: Baidu has a platform for self-driving cars called Apollo, which allows developers to access training data and autonomy software for free.
What’s new: At a meeting in Beijing on Friday, Baidu said it will sell a range of hardware called Apollo Computing Units that will plug into cars to run its software. The most advanced ACU is capable of autonomous driving, though it still requires a safety driver.
Better than the rest? Other firms have tried plug-and-play autonomy before. But Baidu has over 80 auto industry partners, gobs of data, and fearsome AI abilities. That’s some edge.
Why it matters: Offering free software and charging for hardware is a savvy way for the firm to translate AI chops into profits. And it could help Baidu out-Waymo Waymo by quickly getting the tech into a large number of cars.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI
The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models.
Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist
An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.
Data analytics reveal real business value
Sophisticated analytics tools mine insights from data, optimizing operational processes across the enterprise.
Driving companywide efficiencies with AI
Advanced AI and ML capabilities revolutionize how administrative and operations tasks are done.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.