BEIJING — Chinese search engine company Baidu has completed a new research and development base for autonomous-driving technology in Beijing, as it races to build up another profit driver to supplement its slumping mainstay business.
The 13,500 sq. meter Apollo Park — the largest facility of its kind, according to Baidu — in the capital’s Yizhuang economic development zone features a fleet of 200 self-driving vehicle prototypes and test roads with built-in sensors to collect data. The center aims to develop technology that can integrate with transportation infrastructure such as roads and traffic signals.
The company began working on autonomous driving technology in 2013. In April, it launched a robotaxi service in Changsha with vehicles that can operate fully autonomously on certain public roads.
Baidu’s Apollo open-source platform has received support from the Chinese government and attracted such partners as Toyota Motor, Honda Motor, Volkswagen and Ford Motor, as well as American chip companies Intel and Nvidia.
Baidu seeks to diversify its profit structure amid a slump in search engine ads, a major source of revenue. It reported a 7% drop in total revenue on the year for the January-March quarter, owing largely to the coronavirus pandemic spurring companies to cut back on advertising.
Source: asia.nikkei.com