The leading automaker in South Korea, Hyundai Motor, and its subsidiary, Kia, said on Sunday that they had signed a deal with China’s Baidu to collaborate on the development of connected automobile technologies.
The two Korean automakers and Baidu inked a memorandum of understanding in Beijing last week, wherein they will collaborate on several projects, including self-driving technologies and networking.
Newsng gathered that the signing ceremony was attended by Song Chang-Hyun, president of Hyundai Motor and Kia AVP (Advanced Vehicle Platform), and Wang Yunfeng, president of Baidu IDG (autonomous driving division) and vice president of Baidu Group
Hyundai and Kia intend to leverage Baidu’s intelligent cloud computing technologies in response to Beijing’s increasingly stringent data rules.
According to them, Korean businesses would work with their Chinese counterparts to develop innovative business strategies that make use of artificial intelligence technology.
Newsng understands that Hyundai and Kia have collaborated extensively with Baidu on many projects since 2014, including the advancement of voice recognition technology.
“Through the strategical collaboration with Baidu, we will make efforts to establish the ecosystem for connected cars in the Chinese market,” Hyundai and Kia said in a press release.
The Hyundai Motor Group anticipates that enhancing its partnership with Baidu will expedite the group’s “SDx (Software-defined everything)” mid- to long-term software plan.
Hyundai Motor Group’s SDx strategy is thought to have its origins in the SDV (software-oriented vehicle) that it is now developing.
SDV occasionally gathers data, and the massive volume of information gathered in this way provides the fuel required for vehicle AI to become more intelligent.
“SDx’s goal is to create and provide optimized mobility devices and solutions that anyone can use by using all movements in the world as a source of knowledge and innovation,” a Hyundai Motor and Kia official said.
“We will work to create an ecosystem of connected cars in the Chinese market through strategic cooperation with Baidu.”
We earlier reported that to advance the use of AI in car manufacturing, Toyota announced that it will collaborate with Tencent, the dominant player in Chinese gaming and social media.
