Baidu and Bosch Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement to Deepen Cooperation in Automated Driving
BERLIN, GERMANY--(Marketwired - Jun 1, 2017) - Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) and Bosch Group signed a strategic cooperation
agreement today in the areas of automated driving, smart mobility, and connected cars. Dr. Qi Lu, Baidu Group President and Chief
Operating Officer, and Dr. Dirk Hoheisel, member of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH attended the signing ceremony,
which was also witnessed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Leveraging each other's competitive advantages in automotive components and internet technology, Baidu and Bosch will explore
and practice business models, accelerate the commercialization of technologies, and provide comprehensive and reliable system
solutions to smart transportation.
"Developing automated driving and intelligent cars is a vast collaborative endeavor that requires tremendous efforts from all
participants to advance the industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is Baidu's core competency, and Bosch is a leading
technology and service provider. Working together, the two companies will upgrade the intelligent systems of the automotive
industry and create an entire new ecosystem for intelligent and automated cars," stated Dr. Qi Lu.
Baidu has built up expertise in cloud computing, big data, AI and location-based services -- all critical for automated
driving -- through years of investment in research and development of technology. Baidu's core technologies for automated driving
include environment perception, behavioral prediction, planning and control, on-vehicle hardware, human-machine interaction,
localization, and high definition maps. Baidu has introduced a full set of software solutions for automated driving, connected
cars, and big data services for automobiles. The company also recently announced a plan to provide its partners with open,
comprehensive software, hardware, and service solutions required for automated driving. As a world-leading technology and service
provider, Bosch has been working on the development of automated driving since 2011. Today, some 3,000 Bosch engineers are
working on automated driving worldwide.
In the future, Bosch will actively engage in Baidu's Apollo Project, an open platform for automated driving, by providing
sensors, hardware components and the "Bosch Road Signature" for vehicle localization.
Dr. Hoheisel said of the cooperation with Baidu, "China is the biggest automotive market in the world, and also among the
leading countries worldwide in the development of the internet of things (IoT) and AI. We are pleased to have the opportunity to
cooperate strategically with Baidu in this way. Combining the know-how of a high-tech internet corporation with our expertise as
the world's biggest automotive supplier, the alliance will promote the development of smart mobility in China."
The strategic cooperation will leverage leading AI technology from China and world-class German automobile technology
experience to promote technological innovation and further establish a business ecosystem for automated driving, intelligent cars
and smart mobility.
The in-depth cooperation between Baidu and Bosch will give the Chinese automotive industry a voice in the development of core
technologies of automated driving, including obstacle detection, cooperative control and intelligent decision-making. Earlier on
June 1, Baidu announced it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with German automotive technology company Continental
around the applications of AI in automated driving. In the future, Baidu will work with more manufacturers to explore new
cooperative models and develop a business ecosystem for automated driving and intelligent automobiles.
About Baidu
Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. Baidu aims to make a complicated world
simpler for users and enterprises through technology. Baidu's ADSs trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol
"BIDU". Currently, ten ADSs represent one Class A ordinary share.
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