BMW partners with Intel, Mobileye to develop driver-less car technology

As automakers race against Silicon Valley giants such as Google, Tesla, and Apple to develop driverless vehicles, BMW has teamed up with Intel and Mobileye seeking to harness their expertise in areas including machine learning and mapping. The development of new technology for the auto industry could put self-driving cars on the road by around 2021.

The alliance highlights a shift in focus from merely building a vehicle centered on the automakers’ vision, to a more technology-centric approach. "Highly autonomous cars and everything they connect to will require powerful and reliable electronic brains to make them smart enough to navigate traffic and avoid accidents,” Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich said on Friday.

The new platform, which will be developed by these three companies, would be made available to multiple carmakers. Creating common technology standards would help all manufacturers update their vehicles faster, Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich said.

Sophisticated cruise control systems are already known to manufacturers that enable "hands off" driving as cameras and computers allow cars to automatically brake, steer and accelerate in traffic at low speeds. However, post the fatal accident of a person in Florida, involving a Tesla car with autopilot, has raised serious concerns over technology dependence, especially while driving. This will make Intel’s job a little bit more difficult, as security and anti-crash features have to top-notch.

BMW, Intel, and Mobileye will now develop cars with even higher levels of automation described as "eyes off,"mind off," and "driver off". This requires much more computing power and software know-how, forcing traditional carmakers to collaborate more closely with technology specialists.