Baidu Inc. BIDU is ramping up its efforts in the self-driving vehicle space. The company has entered into a partnership with the world’s largest automotive semiconductor supplier NXP Semiconductors NXPI to help drive the autonomous vehicle revolution.
Per the agreement, NXP will join Apollo Project, Baidu’s open platform for automated driving. It will provide semiconductor products and solutions including millimeter wave radar, V2X, security, smart connectivity and in-vehicle experience technologies.
Baidu Apollo platform focuses on utilizing the Chinese tech heavyweight’s strengths in artificial intelligence to build a collaborative driverless car ecosystem. As increased safety and low energy consumption are important theories for investing in this space, both the companies plan to leverage the NXP BlueBox development platform’s low energy consumption, high-performance and functional safety benefits. Additionally, they will collaborate on sensor integration and high-performance processors for deep learning networks.
Also, Baidu’s conversational AI system DuerOS for Apollo will incorporate NXP infotainment solutions. This will enable faster time to market and enhanced performance. Launched in July, DuerOS open platform is a conversation-based AI system to support the development of the IoT industry. The open platform aims at helping developers in creating voice-enabled devices that can hear, understand and follow commands given by the user.
Notably, shares of Baidu have gained 41.9% year to date, outperforming the industry’s 26.7% rally.
Partnerships
Although the self-driving/autonomous car conversation is just getting started, a large number of players, right from tech behemoths to automakers to firms that manufacture components, are already racing to get an edge over their rivals.
As they do so, they realize that the path is not without its share of potholes. Thus, a number of them are opting for partnerships, which will help in combining competencies of technology companies and traditional auto suppliers.
It’s not surprising that Baidu wants to make a bigger splash in the self-driving space and turn Apollo into a global initiative. These partnerships for sure will speed up its efforts in this space.
In this regard, in July, Baidu announced that more than 50 companies, including big names in the auto and tech industries, have joined its Apollo self-driving car platform. Those companies include Ford, Daimler, Nvidia NVDA, Intel, Microsoft MSFT, and popular LIDAR-supplier Velodyne.
Wrapping Up
There is no doubt that the autonomous driving space will see more innovation over the next few years, both by technology companies and automakers, including smaller startups. In fact, CB Insights estimates financing in the auto tech startup sector exceeded $1 billion in 2016 and more investment for sure will follow. This is one of the best places to be in because the technology is being developed. Also, early investors can sell their interest at a hefty premium.
We believe the first fully-autonomous car that makes it to the market will be a collaborative effort between automakers and tech companies.
Zacks Rank
Currently, Baidu has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?
Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.
Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.
See the pot trades we're targeting>>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Be the first to comment