Xiaomi launches in-house autonomous driving technology

Smartphone maker Xiaomi's fully internally developed autonomous driving technology, called Pilot Technology's first progress report has been launched by the company's CEO Lei Jun. The company is looking to invest $500 million toward the formation of the R&D team and the creation of its self-driving technology, which it refers to as the most advanced in the industry, GSM Arena reported.

As part of the first phase of the program, Xiaomi is working to build a fleet of 140 test vehicles for the Pilot Technology. The company's R&D team for autonomous driving includes over 500 experts from around the world. In fact, the company also made a number of acquisitions and strategic investments to ensure access to the most recent innovations and technologies related to autonomous driving.

Lei Jun revealed that Xiaomi's autonomous driving technology employs an internally developed full-stack methodology and that the development thus far has surpassed all expectations. The company will spend another

The company is adding another $300 million to its long-term industrial strategic capabilities, which involves a direct stake in more than ten already operating businesses that deal with everything from sensors to actuators to controllers in the autonomous driving space. The company wants to ensure that it has constant access to supplies and technology.

The use of a full stack strategy gives Xiaomi's Pilot Technology total control over the software and hardware and the driving algorithm has been entirely built in-house. Lei Jun also said that the business to create wholly proprietary solutions with closed-loop data capabilities allows for rapid software and hardware updates.

Xiaomi's R&D in this space is also driven by the demand for assisted "reserved parking space" or "autonomous valet parking". The company further plans to add even more cutting-edge services such as automatic robotic arm charging.

(with inputs from ANI)