Chinese IT developer Tencent has been contracted by BMW to create the BMW Group China High Performance D³ platform, an online hub that will be used to help test, develop and drive the company’s autonomous vehicle capabilities in the region.
Prior to BMW commencing series production of Level 3 vehicles in 2021, the platform will be primarily used for safety validation of Level 3 functionality and the early-stage study of Level 4 technologies. After 2021, the platform will assist both the post-production development of Level 3 models and research into Level 4 technologies. Tencent claims that the platform will be ready to begin operations by the end of this year.
Alejandro Vukotich, senior vice president automated driving, BMW, said, “Our ultimate goal is to make the car safer than the human driver through greater automation. Safety is paramount to us. We therefore need to process a lot of data for simulation, testing and validation. The launch of the D³ – Data-Driven Development – platform in China is the next big step for us along this path.”
Jochen Goller, president and CEO of BMW Group Region China, added, “China is at the forefront of automated driving development, and we aim to play a pioneering role in this area. The collaboration between BMW Group and Tencent will set the benchmark for cross-industry cooperation. The BMW Group China High Performance D³ platform will allow us to develop autonomous driving solutions that represent a better fit for the specific driving scenarios in China.”
Dowson Tong, president of Tencent cloud and smart industry, said, “Tencent is committed to assisting automotive companies in the digital transformation. The collaboration between Tencent and BMW Group has deepened over the past year or so, which proves BMW’s recognition of Tencent’s technical strength in the fields of cloud computing, big data, security and AI. We hope that with the continuous deepening of cooperation between the two parties, we can create a new model and a new benchmark for cooperation between Chinese technology companies and international automotive companies.”
