SK Telecom has selected ‘Mobileye’, which is an Israeli image processing chip developer, as its partner in developing complete self-driving cars and is planning to speed up process of development of self-driving services that utilize T-Map. It is also going to be South Korea’s first company to work with ‘Intel-BMW-Mobileye’ alliance, which is the world’s top alliance for development of self-driving cars, and is planning to introduce self-driving cars along with Intel, BMW, and Mobileye in 2021.
According to an industry on the 8th, CEO Park Jung-ho of SK Telecom and Director Choi Jin-sung of Comprehensive Technical Institute visited Mobileye at ‘CES 2017’, which is being held in Las Vegas, and discussed about potential partnership.
SK Telecom discussed with Mobileye about self-driving service that utilizes information from Smartphone navigation app called ‘T-Map’ from a self-driving chipset called ‘eyeQ4’, which is applied with ‘REM (Road Experience Management’ technology that is based on information from a map. REM provides exact location in real-time and establishes driving environment. SK Telecom has been highly interested in securing self-driving technology that links data from T-Map and REM due to characteristics of roads in South Korea.
“REM satisfies more than ‘level 3’ of self-driving standard set up by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and transfers and receives data, which is analyzed from a map in real-time, in 10 per 1km.” said a representative for Mobileye. “With significant lesser amount of data than raw data from a map, it can check information from a map in real-time.”
SK Telecom is planning to introduce self-driving service that is applied Mobileye’s technology to markets within one to two years. Mobileye announced that it will release eyeQ4 within this year and apply it to products for after-markets rather than supplying it to automotive manufacturers. Both companies are planning to release a product that links REM to T-Map and utilizes SK Telecom’s telecommunication network.
In last year, SK Telecom became the first South Korean telecommunication business to participate in development of self-driving technologies. With a goal of commercializing complete self-driving cars that are based on 5G network in 2021, it has made strategic partnership with Intel, BMW and others. By also establishing a partnership with Mobileye, it is looking to participate in open platform of alliance which is made up of Intel, BMW, and Mobileye and is planning to release complete self-driving car called ‘iNEXT’ in 2021.
By forming a partnership with this alliance, SK Telecom is looking to capture the top position in markets for self-driving cars that utilize 5G connectivity technology. Previously, SK Telecom started a service that links T-Map with AI-based voice-recognizing assistant called ‘Nugu’. If one says his or her destination by using ‘Nugu’ while using T-Map navigation, ‘Nugu’ starts direction by indicating streets that lead to destination. SK Telecom is planning to develop ‘Nugu’ as ‘UX’ for South Korea’s connected car AI.
Las Vegas = CES Special Reporter Group