Sony is partnering with six Japanese taxi companies to launch a ride-hailing service in the spring. As well as offering access to a combined fleet of around 10,000 cars, the service's app will use artificial intelligence to predict demand, making more efficient use of drivers. The partnership between Sony, Didi Chuxing, and SoftBank was announced at CES on Monday. The company's entry comes as Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is aiming to push into the Japanese market, which is worth $16bn.
Sony is partnering with six Japanese taxi companies to launch a ride-hailing service in the spring. As well as offering access to a combined fleet of around 10,000 cars, the service's app will use artificial intelligence to predict demand, making more efficient use of drivers. Sony is also working on a platform that will allow other taxi firms to participate, and will launch a payment service at the same time as the ride-hailing project. The company's entry comes as Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is aiming to push into the Japanese market, which is worth $16bn.