Global automakers may be breathing a collective sigh of relief today after Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to a reporter’s question about self-driving cars. Cook said Apple is focused on autonomous systems and artificial intelligence, but stopped short of saying the iPhone maker is actually trying to build an Apple branded vehicle. Cook also said the autonomous systems Apple is working on could have several applications, one of which is autonomous driving.
Earlier this year Apple received permission from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test three autonomous cars on California roads. All three vehicles are 2015 Lexus RX540h models.
Apple late last year highlighted its ambitions around autonomous cars in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automation in many areas, including transportation,” Apple wrote. “Apple uses machine learning to make its products and services smarter, more intuitive and more personal.”
Tesla and Google also have autonomous cars on the roads as well. Right now, autonomous cars typically carry a human driver for backup, and communication is with stationery equipment, not with other vehicles.
One of the goals of carrier 5G networks is to decrease latencies in order to better support autonomous driving and vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
