Mobileye and Intel’s Automated Driving Group will now merge and headquarter their operations in Israel under the auspices of Mobileye Co-Founder, Chairman and CTO Professor Amnon Shashua. The two companies did not specify where the joint operation will be located, but given that both companies maintain national headquarters in Jerusalem it will likely be in the holy city.
Mobileye has become a quintessential element of the global technology economy since going public several years ago. The company has taken major strides into the self-driving car race. Recently ending a partnership with Tesla, they announced a deal with Delphi last August to help the latter build their own autonomous vehicle model.
“The Mobileye and Delphi relationship started in 2002 with the implementation of what was one of the most advanced active safety systems of the time. Our long history together is key to the success of this ambitious endeavor,” Professor Amnon Shashua, Mobileye Co-Founder, Chairman and CTO, said upon announcing the partnership last year.
BMW had announced a tripartite deal with Mobileye and Intel to develop a fully autonomous car by 2021, but expedited that timeline in an announcement last December that foresaw BMW self-driving cars being tested in Munich this year. Intel clarified at CES that test would include 40 vehicles.
Such a massive investment could only be justified if Intel sees a way to dominate a large chunk of the autonomous vehicle market.
This article has been updated with official statements from Intel and Mobileye.
It’s not the technology, it’s the liability issues that have to be resolved before self-driving vehicles really become feasible.
Can you imagine the corporate finger pointing and circle jerking that’s going to happen the first time somebody gets killed in an accident cause by a self-driven vehicle?
And somebody is bound to get killed because there is no way possible to code all of the possible scenarios that can happen on a road or guarantee 100% that the hardware will function properly.
I have yet to hear an insurance company step up and state how they are going to handle these issues.
It seems like a mess. I have a good driving record and enjoy pretty cheap insurance rates ($25/month from Insurance Panda). I also enjoy taking my car out for a spin and enjoying the ‘freedom’ of being able to drive anywhere. Will the driverless car allow all this? If not, I’ll have to pass.
I’ve also haven’t heard an insurance company step up and say they will insure a self driving car. Until this happens all this talk about self driving cars is really a non-starter.