Car makers and several tech firms are racing to develop autonomous driving technologies, which are widely expected to shape the future of private and public transportation. The latest tie-up includes BMW, Intel and machine-vision technology company Mobileye, with senior executives set to detail the project in a press conference this Friday.
Mobileye is already a top supplier of cameras, software and other components used in driver assistance systems from handful of brands – including BMW and Tesla. It's also announced partnerships with Volkswagen, Nissan and General Motors to develop a new mapping technology that gathers crowd-sourced real-time data from automakers' fleets of vehicles.
For its part, Intel has been looking for a way to get into vehicles as it currently lags behind companies such as NXP Semiconductors. A deal with BMW would certainly be a high-profile entry into a segment that is expected to become popular in the years ahead.
BMW has already confirmed plans to launch a new flagship car equipped with autonomous driving capability in 2021. Codenamed 'i Next' the vehicle will feature "autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road." It's unclear if the new partnership being announced is related to that project or something else entirely.