Baidu automatic operation bus scheduled to appear in Japan in 2019

It was known that China's search boss "Baidu (Baidu)" is engaged in the development of an automatic driving car, but it is planned to release a compact automatic driving bus of 14 passengers to Japan in the beginning of 2019 It has become clear that it is.

Baidu Unveils AI Chip as It Revs Up Self-Driving Bus Production - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-04/baidu-unveils-ai-chip-as-it-revs-up-self-driving-bus-production

Baidu will launch its autonomous buses in Japan next year - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/4/17534874/baidu-autonomous-buses-japan-ai-self-driving-apollo-apolong

Baidu has announced the AI ​​chip "Kunlun" that runs centralized computing that can be used from data centers to automatic driving cars. Many technology companies, such as Huawei, a leading network company, are working together to develop Kunlun. According to Huawei, Kunlun seems to have accumulated knowledge of various research fields ranging from natural language processing to ranking of search results.

Also, Baidu is leading the "Automatic Driving Car Development Program" Apollo, but the production of a fully automatic driving bus called "Apolong" jointly developed by this program and Chinese car maker King Long It is clear that it is finally getting in a good mood. According to Bloomberg, Baidu partnered with SB Drive, a subsidiary of SOFTBANK, and plans to offer a small automatic driving bus Apolong of 14 passengers to Japan in early 2019 at the annual developer conference It is said that. In addition, King Long has announced that it has produced 100 Apolong at its manufacturing plant in the southern part of China, and it seems that manufacturing is proceeding smoothly.

I can understand exactly what the compact automatic driving bus "Apolong" scheduled to ship to Japan in 2019 is by seeing the following movie. Apolong said driver's seat and steering are not completely present . Also, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there is a level 4 autonomous driving ability , and it seems that you will not need a driver completely within a specific geographical area.

Baidu Apollo 3.0 x King Long: L4 Minibus Apolong - YouTube


Speaking of Baidu, Qi Lu, a software engineer, joined the company to lead AI development in 2017, but he was announced to retire at the end of May 2018. Although Mr. Lu's retirement seems to have reduced the market value of Baidu by more than 10%, is Kunlun and Apolong announced that it will be a turnover in the AI ​​field?