Samsung boosts its investment in self-driving vehicle market

Samsung Electronics is best known to most of us as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of mobile phones, tablets and televisions, but it’s keen to continue expanding its portfolio into other areas. The South Korean giant is apparently now looking to become a big player in autonomous driving technology after its recent $8 billion purchase of Harmon, the audio and automotive parts supplier.

The company has now issued a statement confirming its plans to form an entirely separate business unit based within Harmon to specifically deal with self-driving products and technology. And the company is certainly putting its money where its mouth is by providing a fund of some $300 million for investing in autonomous drive technology startups.

Samsung’s new autonomous driving division will look to compete in the market on every aspect from driving algorithms to systems integration. One thing Samsung is definitely going to be producing is an advanced-driver assistance platform using open software, which will let engineers from outside the company use it for developing and building their own products. That particular move looks like a direct shot at Mobileye, which was bought by Intel earlier this year in a move that is now being imitated by …read more