Baidu and Uber partner to deploy autonomous vehicles globally

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU, HKEX: 9888) and Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER) announced a multi-year strategic partnership to deploy thousands of Baidu's Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on Uber's platform across multiple global markets outside the U.S. and mainland China.

The first deployments are expected in Asia and the Middle East later this year. Riders requesting qualifying Uber trips may be presented with the option to have their trip fulfilled by a fully driverless Apollo Go autonomous vehicle.

Apollo Go operates over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles globally across 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The service has provided more than 11 million rides to the public as of May, according to the company statement.

"We are committed to bringing the benefit of autonomous driving technology to more people in more markets, and this partnership with Uber represents a major milestone in deploying our technology on a global scale," said Robin Li, Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Baidu.

"This partnership brings together two of the world's most iconic technology companies to help shape the future of mobility," said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. "As the world's largest platform of its kind, spanning mobility, delivery, and freight, Uber is uniquely positioned to help AV leaders like Baidu bring their autonomous technology to the world."

The collaboration aims to increase the supply of ridesharing options by integrating Baidu's autonomous vehicles into Uber's network. The partnership information was provided in a joint company statement.

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