Baidu and Uber Technologies have agreed to deploy thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform across multiple global markets outside the US and mainland China. This collaboration will focus on increasing the supply of affordable and reliable ride-sharing options by bringing Baidu’s advanced autonomous vehicles onto Uber’s extensive network.
The first deployments are expected in Asia and the Middle East later this year. After launch, if a rider requests a qualifying Uber trip, they may be presented with the option to have their trip fulfilled by a fully driverless Apollo Go autonomous vehicle.
Apollo Go says it has deployed an operational fleet of over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles globally across 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. As of May, the cumulative rides provided to the public by Apollo Go surpassed 11 million.
“We are committed to bringing the benefit of autonomous driving technology to more people in more markets, and this partnership with Uber represents a major milestone in deploying our technology on a global scale,” said Robin Li, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Baidu. “We look forward to working with Uber to deliver safe and efficient autonomous mobility solutions to riders around the world.”
“This partnership brings together two of the world’s most iconic technology companies to help shape the future of mobility,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “As the world’s largest platform of its kind, spanning mobility, delivery and freight, Uber is uniquely positioned to help AV leaders like Baidu bring their autonomous technology to the world.”