Published: 14:41, December 1, 2024
Baidu wins first license to test self-driving car in Hong Kong
By Agencies

This undated photo shows a Baidu Apollo autonomous vehicle. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Chinese mainland tech giant Baidu Inc has won the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s first license to test autonomous vehicles in the city as the company seeks to expand its driverless technology beyond the mainland.

Baidu’s Apollo International unit will be allowed to conduct a trial of 10 autonomous vehicles in the North Lantau area, according to the HKSAR’s Transport Department.

Autonomous driving and machine learning have been core tenets in Baidu’s broader ambitions to expand within the artificial intelligence sector. Its autonomous ride-hailing arm “Apollo Go” launched a cheap robotaxi model in May and aims to be profitable by next year.

Baidu in April reached an agreement with Tesla Inc to embed its maps into the automaker’s self-driving systems in the mainland.

ALSO READ:  Baidu launches advanced AI model

“Apollo Go looks forward to bringing the benefit of AI and autonomous driving technology to more countries and regions,” a spokesperson for Apollo Go said.