This year is the first year of Tencent's automatic driving. It will focus on promoting the landing of L3 products, and will make technological explorations on L4 and L5. Tencent has artificial intelligence algorithms, high-precision maps, data platforms, and simulation systems in the field of automatic driving. Core competence advantage.
On the morning of May 14th, the Shenzhen Municipal Government issued an intelligent network road test license for Tencent, which means that Tencent’s self-driving car can be tested on the designated road in Shenzhen.
According to reports, the roadside car of Tencent’s automatic driving laboratory is a modification of the Great Wall Haval H7. The hardware of the system is equipped with a Velodyne 64 line, a 32 line laser radar, and six 4-line laser radars around the car body. In addition, millimeter wave radar is installed on the front of the rear of the vehicle, and three cameras are equipped.
After making its public debut in November last year, Tencent has not revealed development progress in the aspect of automatic driving. The acquisition of a smart network-linked road test license means that Tencent has moved from the technical level to the application level in the field of automatic driving. More importantly, Yes, Tencent will play a key role in the smart travel strategy.
Su Kuifeng, head of Tencent’s automated driving laboratory, said that this year is the first year of Tencent’s productization initiative. It will focus on promoting the landing of L3 products and conduct technical exploration on L4 and L5. At present, Tencent’s autopilot has been launched by some auto companies. Cooperation and communication, the future as soon as possible in the production car for the owner to provide services.
It is understood that the Shenzhen Traffic Control Department issued only one license and issued it to the Tencent Autopilot Laboratory. The specific test road section will be announced after demarcation by the government department. After the test road section is determined, Tencent’s autopilot will follow the government plan. A section of the road will be tested for automatic driving.
Why Tencent has entered the field of automated driving?
From the perspective of technological development, autopilot is the only way for all technology companies. It is also an indication of whether AI technology can be landed.
From the perspective of corporate strategy, the development of autonomous driving technology is an important part of Tencent's smart travel strategy layout and is an important piece of the 'Ground Attack'.
In the second half of 2016, Tencent already established an automated driving laboratory. Su Kuifeng said that Tencent’s autonomous driving laboratory supports the four core modules: artificial intelligence algorithm, high-precision maps, data platform and simulation system, and is stable and reliable. Autopilot system.
In the future development path, Tencent is determined to be located in 'Complete Software and Service Provider for Automated Driving Systems', through the construction of an ecological chain of autopilot, to make 'connectors and spare parts', to provide the most effective digital interface and toolbox. .
In the field of smart travel, Tencent is not only deploying autonomous driving, but also includes Tencent vehicle alliances, location services, maps, and other areas that are gradually infiltrating through multiple modes.
Su Kuifeng said that the autonomous driving laboratory also called experts from well-known autonomous driving fields at home and abroad, tried and explored in the frontier areas such as 360° lookout, high-precision maps, point cloud information processing and fusion positioning, and undertook Tencent’s The man driving field has accumulated a full set of core technologies, traction cooperation between production, education and research.
On the same day, Tencent signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Shenzhen Transportation Commission, Shenzhen Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Bureau, and Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning and Design Center Co., Ltd., and the Quartet will promote integrated traffic big data, automatic driving, and public travel. , Information services and other aspects launched a comprehensive strategic cooperation to jointly promote the construction of smart transportation in Shenzhen.
Focus on promoting the landing of L3 products in 2018
In general, unmanned driving is the use of sensors to detect the surrounding environment and its own state. After a certain decision-making algorithm is adopted, the speed and direction of the vehicle are precisely controlled, and the vehicle is safely delivered to the destination without any intervention.
Conversely, how can we achieve accurate perception, positioning, decision-making and control? The combination of sensors, high-precision maps, and algorithmic synergy.
So, what are the core strengths of Tencent in the field of automated driving compared with competitors?
Su Kuifeng believes that Tencent has four core competences in artificial intelligence, high-precision maps, data platforms, and simulation systems.
First of all, Tencent strives to open up algorithm development, data labeling, back-office training, applying a complete chain of transplantation, empowering artificial intelligence to autopilot, and secondly, by developing high-precision maps covering multiple cities and multiple segments to ensure the accuracy of automated driving. Safety; Third, Tencent Cloud's mass storage space and computing resources provide data support for autopilot. Fourth, an integrated 3D simulation and closed-loop simulation system can generate a variety of typical road scenarios based on on-site acquisition images.
Judging from the internal structure of Tencent, autopilot labs have an inherent advantage. Autopilot is affiliated to MIG (Tencent Mobile Internet Business Group), and Tencent's vehicle alliance, Tencent location service, Tencent map are both a business platform, which means, Tencent’s autopilot will also open up various business modules internally, forming a richer and more in-depth cooperation model with its partners. Not only that, Tencent’s autopilot will also integrate Tencent platforms such as Tencent Cloud, Tencent Security, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence. Advantages of resources.
In addition, Tencent owns the complete qualification for independent acquisition, production and operation of high-precision maps. Tencent's high-precision maps are affiliated to Tencent’s autonomous driving laboratory. The laboratory will lead high-precision map testing, development, and services.
Su Kuifeng revealed that this year will complete the production of a 200,000-kilometer closed road vector map for major domestic cities and backbone networks. In 2019, it plans to achieve a total coverage of 200,000 kilometers.