Alibaba confirms self-driving car tests, joining Baidu and Tencent in China’s autonomous car race

The autonomous driving market in China now has a major new player after Alibaba Group confirmed it has been conducting self-driving vehicle tests.

Alibaba joins its rival internet giants Baidu and Tencent – which are collectively known as BAT – in the artificial intelligence-driven industry. The company is looking to hire 50 more self-driving specialists for its AI research lab, said an Alibaba spokeswoman, confirming an earlier report by Caixin.

It is understood that Alibaba is now running road tests of autonomous cars on a regular basis and has the capabilities for open road trials, and that its goal is to achieve Level 4 autonomous capability, which means cars can self-drive in most conditions without human intervention.

Baidu, which last November was identified by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology as national champion in China’s efforts in self-driving cars, is also working on Level 4 capability.

Self-driving cars are increasingly seen as an amalgamation of the latest technologies, including 5G, manufacturing and new energy, and the holy grail of the next-generation of technologies that are set to revolutionise the way people live, work and play. China is likely to emerge as the world’s largest market for autonomous vehicles and mobility services, worth more than US$500 billion by 2030, according to a McKinsey report released on Monday.