Computing technology giant Intel Corporation has completed its acquisition of the Israeli automotive technology company Mobileye, with the new integrated company planning to build a fleet of 100 autonomous test cars.
The acquisition is expected to accelerate innovation for the automotive industry and positions Intel as a leading technology provider in the fast-growing market for highly and fully autonomous vehicles (AVs). Mobileye is a global leader in the development of computer vision and machine learning, data analysis, localization and mapping for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous driving. With the completion of acquisition of Mobileye, Intel is poised to accelerate its autonomous driving business from car-to-cloud.
Mobileye, operating as an Intel Company, will start building a fleet of fully autonomous SAE level 4 vehicles for testing in the USA, Israel and Europe. The first vehicles will be deployed later this year, and the fleet will eventually scale to more than 100 automobiles. Building these test vehicles, Intel’s new entity will combine proprietary capabilities from Mobileye including computer vision, sensing, fusion, mapping and driving policy along with Intel’s leading open compute platforms and expertise in data center and 5G communication technologies to deliver a complete ‘car-to-cloud’ system.
The AV fleet will include multiple car brands and vehicle types to demonstrate the technology’s agnostic nature. The test fleet will allow the hybrid solution based on Mobileye and Intel technology to be demonstrated to current and prospective customers in a real-world landscape, and also serve as a base to interact directly with regulators. It will also showcase novel concepts of mapping and safety validation, which are both geared toward scalability.
“Building cars and testing them in real-world conditions provides immediate feedback and will accelerate delivery of technologies and solutions for highly and fully autonomous vehicles,” said Amnon Shashua (above), soon-to-be senior vice president of Intel and future CEO/CTO of Mobileye.
“Geographic diversity is very important, as different regions have very diverse driving styles, as well as different road conditions and signage. Our goal is to develop autonomous vehicle technology that can be deployed anywhere, which means we need to test and train the vehicles in varying locations.
“Delivering 100 test cars very quickly will demonstrate how this hybrid system can be adapted to meet customer needs. Neither company could do this alone. Given resident skill-sets within the two companies, a standalone fleet of test vehicles is possible almost immediately.”
