Pony.AI’s self-driving car.
pony.ai
Chinese startup Pony.AI said on Friday it will work with Tencent Cloud to develop autonomous driving technology to provide Robotaxi services in Tech Giant Tencent’s WeChat and other applications.
The NASDAQ-listed company specializing in self-driving vehicle technology, particularly Robotaxis and robot racks, says the transaction will include cooperation in areas such as cloud services, map data, information security and the intelligent cockpit ecosystem.
The two companies will also integrate Pony.AI’s Robotaxi ride service within Tencent’s popular WeChat app, as well as other applications such as Tencent Maps.
The companies have been in talks “for quite some time,” Pony.AI CEO James Peng told CNBC about a bystander at the Shanghai Auto Show on Friday. He cited Tencent’s huge user base and its cloud services as factors that support startups’ ever-expanding “win-win” collaborations.
Following the partnership, Peng said users who are “hopefully near future” can call Pony.ai Robotaxi.
WeChat is known as the world’s most popular “super app”. It houses everything from messaging to payment transactions to food delivery services on a user base of over 1 billion people.
“While Pony.AI has an accumulation of industry-leading autonomous driving technology, Tencent excels in cloud services, mapping and cockpit ecosystem technology.
“This strategic partnership between the two parties is not only about complementing each other’s technology and resources, but also a new starting point for joint innovation,” he added.
The release states that the partnership will also collaborate with the development, testing and operation of Robotaxis, particularly in L4-level autonomous driving.
According to SAE International, the L4 is a type of autonomous driving that allows drivers to keep their eyes on roads in designated areas. For comparison, the L3 is considered a handoff system, but the driver must be prepared to actively monitor the vehicle and take over the wheels.
The Tencent Cloud deal comes the day after Pony.ai reportedly announced its 7th generation Robotaxi solution at the Shanghai Auto Show on Wednesday. The company’s shares surged around 40% in the US on Thursday.
The startup continues to establish itself as a prominent player in China’s autonomous driving industry. The company has obtained China’s first permit to charge a completely unmanned taxi fare in the core of the business district of Shin Shenzhen, where Tencent is headquartered.
However, the company may have something to do with increasing trade tensions between China and the US. The latter is a market pony, so AI considers it “very important” to its expansion plans.
James Peng, co-founder and CEO of Pony.AI, reportedly told the Financial Times this week that he was considering a listing list outside the US amid growing concern that Washington would push for the abolition of Chinese companies from the New York Stock Exchange.
If this happens, less than six months after the company’s initial public offering in the US, Peng said there must be a lot of factors to consider in the FT.
– CNBC’s nur hikmah MD Ali contributed to this story.
