Intel to acquire 15% of HERE

In conjunction with the share purchase, the two companies also signed an agreement to collaborate on the R&D of a highly scalable proof-of-concept architecture that supports real-time updates of high definition maps for and fully automated driving, Intel states in a press release. “Cars are rapidly becoming some of the world’s most intelligent, connected devices,” Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO, said in the press release. “We look forward to working with HERE and its automotive partners to deliver an important technology foundation for smart and connected cars of the future.” “A real-time, self-healing and high-definition representation of the physical world is critical for autonomous driving, and achieving this will require significantly more powerful and capable in-vehicle compute platforms,” said Edzard Overbeek, HERE CEO. “As a premier silicon provider, Intel can help accelerate HERE’s ambitions in this area by supporting the creation of a universal, always up-to-date digital location platform that spans the vehicle, the cloud and everything else connected.” The proof-of-concept architecture HERE and Intel plan to deliver will be designed to help make autonomous driving as safe and predictable as possible. For example, today’s navigation technology can pinpoint a car’s location to within meters, but next generation, HD mapping supports localization to within centimeters. This will help vehicles precisely position themselves on the roadway to enable reliable autonomous driving functionality. Intel will also work with Audi, BMW and Daimler to test the architecture.