In the next critical move toward the commercialization of autonomous vehicles, this week General Motors announced an historic deal with SoftBank Vision Fund. The world’s largest tech and ridesharing investor will invest $2.25 billion in GM Cruise, our recently formed majority owned subsidiary. With the addition of $1.1 billion from GM, the funds will drive large AV commercialization beginning in 2019.
Data collection and the processing power needed to support autonomous driving are huge areas of focus for development. Companies are investing heavily in driverless technologies, evidenced by news that Intel Corp. is acquiring Mobileye, an autonomous driving technology leader whose portfolio includes machine learning, road mapping, sensors, and data analytics among other technologies.
