Baidu Expects Major Growth for Smart Car OS

“…Baidu says its ‘DuerOS for Apollo’ operating system has been incorporated into over 300 car models, and that it’s working with major car makers based not only in China but also Europe and the US…”

China-based Baidu is celebrating the growth of its Apollo smart car program, and looking to build its brand on the world stage at CES Asia.

Baidu’s Apollo program first emerged in 2017, when the company revealed it was working on a smart car platform involving AI and biometric technologies, and that it had already partnered with 65 car companies, with 84 vehicles incorporating the technology in mass production.

Now, Baidu says its ‘DuerOS for Apollo’ operating system has been incorporated into over 300 car models, and that it’s working with major car makers based not only in China but also Europe and the US; Great Wall Motors, Hongqi, BMW, Merceds, Ford, and Chevy are among its collaborators. And looking ahead, Baidu says that it expects the number of vehicle models incorporating DuerOS for Apollo to exceed 500 in the next two years.

For now, though, Baidu and its partners are showcasing the technology at CES Asia in a bid to generate some excitement among consumers and industry professionals. In the EXEED TXL car from China-based Chery, for example, DuerOS for Apollo is powering facial recognition and Augmented Reality-based navigation. Meanwhile the Ford Edge ST features an infotainment system based on DuerOS for Apollo. It’s notable that the American-made car eschews the facial recognition technology found in the Chery vehicle, perhaps reflecting different attitudes about the technology in the two countries; but given the growing prominence of DuerOS for Apollo, it may just be a matter of time before face-scanning becomes a mainstream feature of smart cars the world over.