TomTom and Baidu Join Forces to Develop Unified High Definition Maps for Autonomous Driving

Baidu Create AI Developer Conference, Beijing, China - TomTom (TOM2) and Baidu (BIDU) announced today that they have joined forces to develop high definition (HD) maps for autonomous driving. Their collaboration on the development of a global HD map service combines TomTom and Baidu’s expertise in HD map-making and artificial intelligence (AI). Baidu will leverage TomTom’s Real-Time Map Platform to improve HD map-related technologies utilised in China.

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TomTom and Baidu Join Forces to Develop Unified High Definition Maps for Autonomous Driving (Photo: Business Wire)

TomTom’s HD Map and RoadDNA are two revolutionary, highly accurate, digital map products helping automated vehicles precisely locate themselves on the road and plan manoeuvres, even when traveling at high speeds. TomTom’s HD Map already covers the USA* and Western Europe**, with over 360,000km of highways and interstates mapped. TomTom already sets a worldwide standard with TomTom real-time mapping technology that helps enable safe autonomous driving.

Harold Goddijn, CEO, TomTom, said: "With Baidu moving to TomTom’s map making platform for high definition maps, we’re creating a globally unified HD map service for OEMs and technology companies who are working on the future of driving. We are convinced that we can accelerate this future with smart partners like Baidu.”

Qi Lu, COO, Baidu, commented: "Autonomous driving is a paradigm shift for the automotive industry, and engineering and testing the systems to make it a reality is much less effort when those systems are globally identical. Our collaboration with TomTom creates a uniform global component in the form of a single HD map service, and further advances our open source self-driving car programme, Apollo.”

Baidu is a leading artificial intelligence company and a major mapping service provider in China. Leveraging its resource and capabilities in AI, the company has been developing HD maps since 2013, using smart technologies such as deep learning to help automate data processing and map creation. This past April, Baidu announced its open source autonomous driving platform, Apollo. The project aims to build a collaborative ecosystem for companies to work together and to promote the development and popularisation of autonomous driving technology.

This announcement will not have a material financial impact on the current fiscal year. Entering into this partnership is in line with TomTom’s strategy and is beneficial to its long-term development.

*Mainland/Contiguous US: 48 states + Washington DC. Does not include Hawaii and Alaska.

**19 Countries: France, Germany, UK, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Portugal, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and San Marino.

-ENDS-

About TomTom
At TomTom (TOM2) our mission is to make technology so easy to use, that everyone can benefit from it. We created easy to use navigation devices, helping millions of people to get where they want to be. Today, we continue to simplify the complex, making technology more accessible for everyone. We have four customer facing business units: Consumer, Telematics, Automotive and Licensing. We make easy to use navigation devices, sport watches and action cameras for consumers. We enable businesses with vehicles to more easily manage and improve fleet efficiency whilst increasing overall business performance with our Telematics solutions. We also offer a world leading real-time map platform that is powering innovative location based services and helping to make automated driving a reality for the automotive industry. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, we have over 4,600 employees and sell our products worldwide.

About TomTom Automotive
TomTom Automotive is the trusted partner for innovative and future-proof navigation technology for the global automotive industry. As a global leader in connected navigation software, traffic information, and digital real-time maps, we offer Automotive OEMs the modular components for self-driving cars to see beyond their sensors.

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