Intel’s Autonomous Driving Unit (INTC) Mobileye continues to park some big business wins in its garage.
Mobileye announced Monday that it was selected by automotive giant Ford (F) as the provider of vision detection technology for the company’s driver assistance systems. The technology will support Tier 1 and Tier 2 autonomous driving systems for Ford vehicles worldwide. While the two companies have been working together since at least 2018, the deal marks the first time Ford has committed to Mobileye technology for the entire life cycle of its next-generation vehicles, such as the upcoming Mustang Mach-E and F -150.
Some of the Mobileye technologies coming to Ford include a lane keeping system, automatic headlamps, pre-crash assistance with automatic emergency braking, adaptive and intelligent cruise control, and active driving assistant.
To be sure, the association indicates that Ford remains involved in a future of autonomous driving.
In 2017, Ford said it would invest $ 1 billion in the autonomous technology company Argo AI over the course of five years. In June this year, as part of Ford’s alliance with Volkswagen, the German automaker invested $ 2.6 billion in Argo AI. Both companies plan to use Argo technology for their autonomous car platforms in the United States and Europe.
As for Intel’s Mobileye, which Intel bought for $ 15.3 billion in 2017, it’s still a good story within the chipmaker. Last week, Mobileye received approval to test autonomous vehicles in urban and rural areas across Germany. The new permit will allow testing of vehicles going up to 81 mph.
FILE: In this Jan. 9, 2018, file photo, a model of a car demonstrates Intel Mobileye sensor technology at the Intel booth during CES International in Las Vegas. Intel Corp. reports financial earnings on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (AP Photo / John Locher, File)
Earlier this month, Mobileye signed an agreement with Japanese transport operator Willer to develop a robotaxis fleet. Testing on Japan’s public roads is expected to begin in 2021. An entire AV passenger transport fleet is expected to debut in 2023 under the agreement.
Meanwhile, Mobileye’s business has doubled in revenue since Intel acquired it, as the company consolidates a market that also includes the Google Waymo heavyweight. The business is about to sign more deals amid Intel’s recent purchase of the $ 900 million urban mobility platform Moovit. Moovit’s traffic data will enhance Mobieye’s capabilities.
Intel CEO Bob Swan remains highly optimistic about the platform’s future as a way to improve road safety and reduce congestion.
“Our aspirations have also grown quite a bit in terms of the role we can play in technology so that vehicles can move safely,” said Swan in Yahoo Finance’s The First Trade.
