Chinese tech company Baidu has partnered with a domestic chipmaking startup to develop intelligent systems for assisting drivers.
Baidu announced the partnership with Black Sesame Technologies during this year’s Auto Shanghai expo, which opened this week. The company will combine its intelligent driving solutions with Black Sesame’s chips to create an integrated system slated for release later this year.
Black Sesame, formed in 2016, engages in a system-on-chip design that provides automated driving assistance. Baidu has developed smart solutions for highway driving, city driving and parking.
Rob Chu, general manager of Baidu’s smart car unit, said during Auto Shanghai that autonomous driving will eventually be defined by a competition to cut costs.
“We chose Black Sesame because they struck a balance between cost and performance,” Chu said.
The Baidu executive said that consumer demand for high-quality driver-assistance technology is growing.
“A company that is first to succeed in satisfying consumers will prevail in the competition,” Chu said.
This article first appeared on Nikkei Asia. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei.
