Didi sets up independent autonomous driving unit as it follows Google’s example, betting on driverless future
- Established in 2016, the ride-hailing giant’s autonomous driving team has grown to over 200 staff, all of whom are based in China and the US
Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing platform, has set up an independent autonomous driving unit, as the Beijing-based company steps up efforts to be part of China’s push for a driverless future.
Zhang Bo, Didi’s chief technology officer, will head the independent venture, while tech investor and former executive director of Shunwei Capital Meng Xing will join as chief operating officer, the company announced in a statement on Monday.
The restructuring follows a similar step by Google, which in 2016 spun off its six-year-old self-driving project into a stand-alone company, Waymo. The move is intended to bring more flexibility to operations and employees amid a race to develop and master technologies essential to future mobility.
Autonomous driving technology is expected to be “fully integrated” within Didi’s services in time, said Cheng Wei, Didi’s chief executive, in the statement, adding that the future solutions would involve a “seamless combination” of autonomous driving and human services.
Established in 2016, the ride-hailing giant’s autonomous driving team has grown to over 200 staff, all of whom are based in China and the US. Many of them are engaged in research into connected car areas such as high-definition mapping, perception, behaviour prediction, control and simulation among others.
“The new company looks forward to further strategic collaboration with carmakers and industry partners to promote the application of self-driving technologies in people’s everyday lives,” said Zhang Bo.