BMW Seeks Partners in Race to Build Self-Driving Car’s Brain
- Development chief sees ‘power play’ as companies seek deals
- BMW expects talks on more HERE partners to finish by end-2016
The next level of driverless technology needs to process the world more like human brains do, decoding data from sensors, cameras and radar to react to surprises and avoid collisions.
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BMW is accelerating plans to acquire technology expertise in a race with the likes of Apple Inc. and Google to make cars smart enough to react like human drivers.
The German automaker is pushing to acquire startups, partner with tech companies and hire talent to build an electronic brain for next-generation vehicles, Klaus Froehlich, BMW AG’s head of development, said in an interview in Munich. At stake is billions of euros in potential profit as value in the auto industry gradually shifts to autonomous taxis.