Baidu Highlights Autonomous Driving Commercialization Push at Apollo Ecosystem Conference

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Dec 08, 2020, 09:25 ET

GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) today released new intelligent vehicle solutions for automakers and several high-end intelligent driving products during the second Apollo Ecosystem Conference, reinforcing the company's commitment to win-win partnerships to propel industry development. Baidu also announced an enhanced Apollo presence in Guangzhou and demonstrated the progress of the Apollo Go Robotaxi service rollout in Beijing, Changsha, and Cangzhou, underscoring both the commercialization prospects and revolutionary potential of intelligent transportation, intelligent vehicles, and autonomous driving.

"The transportation industry and automobile industry are undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation," said Zhenyu Li, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and General Manager of Intelligent Driving Group (IDG), during the conference. "With its focus on 'intelligence', Apollo is helping automakers to build good cars and governments to build good roads through intelligent transformation."

"Apollo is committed to openness and hopes to work with partners to create a better future for autonomous driving," Li added, speaking before a crowd of representatives from 500 ecosystem partners at the conference.

Intelligent Solutions and Products for Automakers

At the conference, Baidu released new or upgraded solutions combining hardware and software to help automakers build more intelligent vehicles. Apollo's four series of solutions include intelligent driving, intelligent cabin, intelligent map, and intelligent cloud. Intelligent cabin solutions are already empowering 600 types of vehicles from over 70 automakers, with DuerOS for Apollo pre-installed on over one million vehicles. Meanwhile, Apollo's intelligent high-definition map series continued to hold the top market share in 2020 and brought on new automaker partners.

Adding to its existing intelligent driving solutions, Baidu also announced an advanced solution for passenger vehicles called Apollo Navigation Pilot (ANP), which is powered by Apollo's L4 autonomous driving technology. Baidu had previously announced cooperation with automakers Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), Weltmeister, and Great Wall Motors to mass-produce Apollo Valet Parking (AVP), an L4 autonomous parking solution. Apollo's intelligent driving solutions aim to be pre-installed on one million vehicles over the next three-to-five years, bringing a safe and cutting-edge autonomous driving experience to more consumers.

Building an Intelligent Urban Transportation System

During the event, Guangzhou Huangpu district officially launched an intelligent transportation MaaS (mobility as a service) platform, which will include the deployment of robotaxis, robobuses, and autonomous driving utility vehicles that can perform various functions. The rollout of these autonomous vehicles will cover the core area of Huangpu, where AI roadside sensors and cloud engines are already set up. Baidu and Guangzhou will also cooperate on a new model for Guangzhou's digital transportation operator that leverages Baidu's ACE Transportation Engine - a full-stack solution that stands for "Autonomous Driving, Connected Road, Efficient Mobility" - helping the city establish a leading position in autonomous driving new infrastructure.

Apollo Go to Expand to Thirty Cities

Baidu also highlighted various applications and milestones for its world-leading autonomous driving technologies during the conference, especially Apollo Go, which operates robotaxis and robobuses in multiple cities. Already operational in Beijing, Changsha, and Cangzhou, Apollo Go has carried over 210,000 passengers, and plans to expand to roughly 30 cities over the next three years. Baidu also announced a partnership with ride-hailing app Shouqi to allow users to hail a Robotaxi through the app, opening up a new model of commercialization.

Digitization, connectivity, and automation present revolutionary opportunities for the transportation industry, Zhenyu Li stressed at the conference. Apollo will seize these opportunities to create a new growth engine for Baidu - and change the world of transportation in the process.

About Baidu

Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. Baidu aims to make the 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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SOURCE Baidu, Inc.