TomTom partners with Baidu to develop HD Maps for autonomous driving
TomTom has partnered with Chinese mapping and AI company Baidu to developing high-definition (HD) maps for autonomous driving.
Both companies have agreed to pool their expericne in HD map-making and AI to develop a global HD map service.
Under the deal, Baidu will use TomTom’s Real-Time Map Platform to improve HD map-related technologies used in China.
TomTom’s HD Map and RoadDNA are claimed to provide accurate, digital map products that help automated vehicles to correctly locate themselves on the road and plan its manoeuvres, even when travelling at high speeds.
TomTom CEO Harold Goddijn said: “With Baidu moving to TomTom’s map making platform for high-definition maps, we’re creating a globally unified HD map service for OEMs and technology companies who are working on the future of driving.”
The Dutch firm explained that its HD Map has already covered more than 360,000km of highways and interstates across the US and Western Europe.
Baidu COO Qi Lu said: "Autonomous driving is a paradigm shift for the automotive industry, and engineering and testing the systems to make it a reality is much less effort when those systems are globally identical.
"Our collaboration with TomTom creates a uniform global component in the form of a single HD map service, and further advances our open source self-driving car programme, Apollo."
