Chinese tech giant Baidu and e-hailing firm Uber have announced a multi-year partnership that will see thousands of the former’s autonomous vehicles deployed on the latter’s platform across several international markets outside the United States and mainland China. Initial rollouts are expected later this year in Asia and the Middle East, with further expansions planned for Europe and Oceania.
The collaboration will integrate Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi fleet with Uber’s extensive ride-hailing network. Baidu co-founder and CEO Robin Li described the partnership as a significant milestone in deploying the company’s autonomous driving technology on a global scale. It is said that Apollo Go has already completed over 11 million public rides across more than 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
This partnership also adds to Uber’s broader push into autonomous ride-hailing. Last month, the company expanded its self-driving pilot with Alphabet’s Waymo in Atlanta and signed agreements with other autonomous tech firms such as Pony AI and May Mobility.
On a related note, Baidu is reportedly exploring further expansion of its Apollo Go service into Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Malaysia. The company is said to be in talks with local taxi firms, fleet operators, and mobility service providers as it pursues an asset-light approach. It remains unclear whether Uber will be involved in these efforts, particularly as the company exited the Southeast Asian market in 2018 after selling its regional operations to Grab.
(Source: Reuters)
