BMW China Automotive Trading and Tencent have signed
a deal to jointly develop the High Performance D³ platform, which will be used
to develop automated driving technologies and products that suit the traffic
conditions and customer demands of the local market.
According to BMW, the “D³” in the platform’s name
stands for “Data-Driven Development,” which is the basis for automated driving
functions. The platform will begin testing by the end of this year, and be used
initially for safety validation of Level 3 technologies before series
production of such vehicles commences in 2021, as well as early-stage studies
of Level 4 technologies. After 2021, the platform will assist both the post-production
development of Level 3 models and research into Level 4 technologies. Tencent
will supply the IT architecture, tools and platforms across the field of automated
driving research and development to the project.
“The
collaboration between BMW Group and Tencent will set the benchmark for
cross-industry cooperation. The BMW Group China High Performance D³ platform
will allow us to develop autonomous driving solutions that represent a better
fit for the specific driving scenarios in China,” said Jochen Goller, president
and CEO of BMW Group Region China. “Tencent is committed to
assisting automotive companies in the digital transformation. The collaboration
between Tencent and BMW Group has deepened over the past year or so, which
proves BMW’s recognition of Tencent’s technical strength in the fields of cloud
computing, big data, security and AI,” commented Dowson Tong, president of
Tencent Cloud & Smart Industry.
“We hope that with the continuous deepening of
cooperation between the two parties, we can create a new model and a new
benchmark for cooperation between Chinese technology companies and
international automotive companies. We also look forward to providing more
assistance to the localization of international first-class automotive
companies in China,” he added.
