Hardware

Intel's Driverless Car Unit Deepens City Data with Transit App Collaboration

Data analytics from the transit app Moovit could give Intel's Mobileye autonomous vehicle navigation unit an edge.

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After acquiring Mobileye, an Israeli company that builds sensors and cameras for driverless vehicles, in March 2017, Intel is now looking to deepen its navigation data repository for the autonomous vehicle unit. The tech giant is aiming to do so by announcing on Feb. 21 that Mobileye would be collaborating with another Israeli startup, Moovit, which offers a transit app that boasts 120 million users across 2,000 cities.

“Moovit expects to surpass 1 billion users by 2021 and to expand significantly the number of cities that use Moovit’s data analytics to improve urban mobility,” said Nir Erez, the co-founder and CEO, in a statement. “We are especially thrilled about our plans to collaborate with Mobileye. It’s a synergistic relationship at an exciting time to be shaping the future of urban mobility.”

At a time when cities are investing heavily in intelligent transportation systems and getting roads ready for autonomous vehicles, the addition of Moovit's data to Mobileye's navigation systems could give Intel's product an edge in the market.

“With significant investments in automated driving, mobility management platforms and smart infrastructure, Intel is at the forefront of a fundamental transformation of urban mobility," Professor Amnon Shashua, senior vice president of Intel and CEO / CTO of Mobileye said in a statement. "We’re working with some of the most innovative transit companies, municipalities and transit authorities to build critical foundational technologies for this transformation.”

To deepen the relationship between the two companies, Shashua will also join Moovit’s Board of Directors as an observer.

“Moovit is one of the world’s leaders in public transit data and analytics,” Shashua continued in the statement. “The combination of Mobileye’s and Moovit’s technology and data will be instrumental in making cities ready for autonomous vehicles.”