Self-Driving Tech Startup Mobileye Expands To China

Self-driving tech startup Mobileye is expanding its business in China through two new partnerships.

The Israeli company, which was bought by Intel in 2017 for $15.3 billion, has signed an agreement with Great Wall Motors that will see both companies working to integrate driver assistance systems in vehicles over the next three to five years, as well as create more advanced autonomous systems. In addition, Mobileye has partnered with Beijing Public Transport and Beijing Beytai in an effort to bring self-driving technology to public transportation.

Mobileye declined to reveal the financial details of both deals.

“There is a strong pull for Israeli technology in China,” Erez Dagan, the company’s vice president of product and strategy, told Reuters. He added that the company signed 16 deals in China last year, and half of its design wins were Chinese.

Mobileye isn’t the only company looking to make inroads in the self-driving market in China. In October, Ford Motor Company and Baidu, the Chinese technology company, announced the launch of a two-year joint self-driving vehicle test project to advance the development and on-road testing of self-driving cars in China.

“Working with a leading tech partner like Baidu allows us to leverage new opportunities in China to offer innovative solutions that improve safety, convenience and the overall mobility experience,” said Sherif Marakby, president and CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles, at the time. “This project marks a new milestone in the partnership between Ford and Baidu, and supports Ford’s vision to design smart vehicles that transform how we get around.”

Volvo also partnered with Baidu last year to develop electric and fully autonomous drive-compatible cars.

“With Baidu we take a big step forward in commercializing our autonomous compatible cars, built on Volvo’s industry-leading safety technology,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars. “There is a strong development in autonomous driving in China, where Baidu is a leading player, and the market there offers huge opportunities for us as the supplier of choice for autonomous fleets.”