CES, Las Vegas, 8 January 2018 TomTom (TOM2) and Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) today announced an extension to their collaboration on high definition (HD) maps for autonomous driving.
TomTom's HD Map and TomTom AutoStream, which was announced today at CES, will be pre-integrated into Baidu’s open autonomous driving platform, Apollo, enabling developers to access the latest TomTom HD Map data, to accelerate the production of autonomous driving products.
TomTom AutoStream is an innovative map delivery service for autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. It enables vehicles to build a horizon for the road ahead by streaming the latest map data from the TomTom cloud. By ensuring that the map used to power advanced driving functions is always the latest, TomTom AutoStream enhances driver comfort and safety.
TomTom’s HD Map is a revolutionary digital map product aimed at making automated vehicles safer and more comfortable by complementing sensors, powering accurate localization and enabling path planning. TomTom’s HD Map already covers the USA, Western Europe and Japan with over 380,000 km of highways and interstates mapped. With leading coverage of HD Maps and advanced mapmaking technologies, TomTom is helping realise the autonomous driving vision.
Harold Goddijn, CEO, TomTom, said: "I have no hesitation in saying that TomTom's HD Map, and technologies for autonomous driving, will be critical to the vehicles of the future. Working with Baidu, who share our vision, and determination, to accelerate the future of driving - is another step towards this future."
Weihao Gu, GM of Intelligent Vehicle Division, Baidu, said: “Map data is essential to the development of autonomous vehicles. The globally unified HD map service we have created with TomTom makes it easier for OEMs and technology companies to engineer and test systems, and the extension of TomTom AutoStream enhances this by giving Apollo partners timely access to the latest map data. This strengthens our Apollo autonomous driving platform even further and will help the industry as a whole to accelerate progress.”
Baidu is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, and a major mapping service provider in China. Leveraging its resource and capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI), the company has been developing HD maps since 2013, using smart technologies such as deep learning to help automate data processing and map creation. First announced in April 2017, Apollo is Baidu’s open autonomous driving platform, which provides a comprehensive, secure, and reliable all-in-one solution supporting all major features and functions of an autonomous vehicle. Apollo aims to build a collaborative ecosystem for companies to work together and to promote the development and spread of autonomous driving technology.
By pre-integrating the TomTom HD Map and TomTom AutoStream into Baidu’s Apollo platform, TomTom and Baidu are setting a worldwide standard for HD Maps.
The TomTom booth can be found at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, North Hall, Booth #5226, where TomTom will be demonstrating its technologies for autonomous driving, as well as its core technologies – mapping, navigation and traffic services.