Baidu shifts into high gear on robotaxis with world's top service area

Chinese tech company Baidu Inc announced on Tuesday that it plans to scale up the operation area for its fully autonomous driving robotaxis and build the world's largest fully driverless ride-hailing service area in 2023, amid efforts to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving technology.

Baidu's self-developed artificial intelligence-powered second-generation Kunlun chip, which is designed to help devices process huge amounts of data and boost computing power, has completed an end-to-end performance adaptation for autonomous driving vehicles, the company said during Apollo Day, its self-driving tech event.

The move marks a major milestone in further solidifying and integrating Baidu's advantages in both autonomous driving software and hardware, said Ouyang Jian, CEO of Kunlun Chip.