SEOUL, South Korea,
July 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai) and Baidu today announced the
signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for Internet of
Vehicles (IoV), signaling their commitment to strengthening
cooperation on next-generation connected car technologies. The
newly-signed MOU will see the existing partnership — between the
world's fifth-largest auto-making group and the leading Chinese
language Internet search provider — reinforced to accelerate
development of disruptive innovations in vehicle connectivity.
As a first step on the partnership's roadmap, Hyundai and Baidu
will co-develop a connected car service that provides a wide range
of in-car content — real-time traffic status and live information
about the user's end-destinations for example — based on big data,
maps, artificial intelligence (AI) and portal services. Through
such a service, Hyundai and Baidu expect to meet the growing demand
for connectivity services among consumers in China and beyond.
Hyundai and Baidu will also collaborate on creating Hyundai
Motor Group vehicle models embedded with Xiaodu In-Car OS for
volume production. This plan aims to advance the application of AI
in IoV through next-generation technologies and product innovation.
Released at the Baidu Create 2018 AI developer conference earlier
this month, Xiaodu In-Car OS is an AI-based IoV solution that is
open platform, end-to-end and multi-mode. Currently, it consists of
four components: dashboard, smart rearview mirror, infotainment and
an in-vehicle robot.
Xiaodu In-Car OS was demonstrated at Baidu Create 2018 by a Kia
Sportage. Its in-vehicle robot displays a wide range of emotions to
interact with the driver and serves as a hub for seamless
communication with the vehicle. The robot interactively responds to
passengers' spoken commands for various functions such as
navigation, ventilation, media and door locks. In addition, Xiaodu
includes a safety feature which warns drivers when it detects
fatigue and careless driving.
Another key area of the Hyundai-Baidu cooperation will be voice
recognition services based on Baidu's natural language processing
technology. Baidu's leading voice recognition technology will be
coupled with Hyundai's proprietary noise cancellation technology,
which filters out ambient background noises to enhance precision,
enabling versatility for in-vehicle voice commands.
With a shared understanding that internet of things (IoT) is a
centerpiece of connected mobility, Hyundai and Baidu have also
agreed to continue efforts in speeding up the launch of intelligent
vehicle-to-home services. The partnership's ultimate goal is to
secure an upper hand in the competitive IoT market.
"The convergence of the ICT and automotive industry is happening
at an unprecedented rate, motivating us to develop and provide new
possibilities for our customers," said Kyowoong Choo, Director and
Head of Infotainment Development Group at Hyundai Motor. "Through
our partnership with Baidu, we will develop industry-leading
connected-vehicles that exceed customer expectations."
Hyundai's partnership with Baidu dates back to 2015, when the
two companies jointly developed and launched 'CarLife', an
in-vehicle infotainment platform. Hyundai further strengthened its
ties with Baidu in 2017, when the automaker became the first to
equip its Chinese market vehicles with Baidu's connected navigation
system and voice recognition technologies. Last month, Hyundai
officially announced that it will take part in Apollo, Baidu's open
autonomous driving program.
"Apollo's industry-leading intelligent driving technologies and
solutions provide end-to-end ecosystem support for our partners. We
look forward to collaborating with Hyundai to achieve volume
production of AI-enabled vehicles and to provide a safe, convenient
and comfortable driving experience to our customers," said
Tan Su, General Manager of Baidu
Internet of Vehicles.
China serves as strategic
hub for connected-cars
Last year, Hyundai opened its first global Big Data Center in
Guizhou Province, China, to gather and analyze massive volumes
of data collected from the company's connected-cars. The new
facility allows Hyundai to significantly expand its connected-car
R&D capabilities, advance its market projections, and enhance
business operations in China.
The Big Data Center in China
lays a foundation for building a China-focused Car Cloud, as Hyundai Motor
plans to leverage expertise in connected-car technologies gathered
through years of experience with its Hyundai Car Cloud operation in
Korea, which was established in 2013.
In addition to opening its Big Data Center, Hyundai also signed
a memorandum of understanding with China Unicom, China's second-largest telecommunications
provider, to co-develop a predictive-analytics platform.
About Baidu
Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese
language Internet search provider. Baidu aims to make a complex
world simpler through technology. Baidu's ADSs trade on the NASDAQ
Global Select Market under the symbol "BIDU." Currently, ten ADSs
represent one Class A ordinary share.
About Hyundai Motor Group
Hyundai Motor Group is a
global corporation that has created a value chain based on
automobiles, stel, and construction and includes logistics,
finance, IT and service. With about 250,000 employees worldwide,
the Group's automobile brands include Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia
Motors Corp. Armed with creative thinking, cooperative
communication and the will to take on all challenges, we are
working to create a better future for all.
For more information on Hyundai Motor Group, please see:
http://www.hyundaimotorgroup.com
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SOURCE Hyundai Motor Group