Baidu and Uber are partnering to accelerate the deployment of autonomous vehicles for ride-hailing in global markets.
The collaboration will see thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles integrated into the Uber platform in cities across Asia and the Middle East, with the first launches expected later this year in hubs such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Uber riders in these emerging markets can expect an option for fully driverless trips as part of their app experience when requesting a qualifying ride.
Baidu supplies the vehicles and Uber provides the ride-hailing infrastructure and user base. The alliance aims to boost the supply of reliable, affordable, and technologically advanced ridesharing solutions, leveraging Baidu’s cutting-edge autonomous technology to scale up Uber’s offerings beyond its traditional driver-led model.
Boasting an operational fleet of more than1,000 fully driverless vehicles in 15 cities and more than 11 million public rides completed as of May, Baidu’s Apollo Go brings a robust safety record and advanced AI driving systems to the partnership.
“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.
“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.
The Uber-Baidu tie-up continues a broader strategic pivot for Uber, which, after offloading its self-driving division in 2020, is focusing on partnerships with proven AV players such as Waymo, Volkswagen, and May Mobility.
For Baidu, the alliance serves as a springboard for international expansion as it seeks new growth avenues outside China, positioning itself as a global AV solutions provider.
Entelechy Asia 