Mobileye’s Global Ambitions Take Shape with New Deals in China, South Korea

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

What’s New: With sales close to $1 billion in 2019 and expected to rise double-digits this year, Mobileye’s global ambitions in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) came into sharper focus with two agreements announced today. SAIC, a leading Chinese OEM, plans to use Mobileye’s REM mapping technology to map China for L2+ ADAS deployment while paving the way for autonomous vehicles in the country. And the leaders of Daegu Metropolitan City, South Korea, agreed to establish a long-term cooperation to deploy MaaS based on Mobileye’s self-driving system.

“These two new agreements build our global footprint in both MaaS and ADAS and demonstrate our commitment to true global leadership toward full autonomy.” –Prof. Amnon Shashua, Mobileye president & CEO and Intel senior vice president.

Why It Matters: The two deals show how Mobileye, an Intel Company, is executing on its multiprong strategy toward full autonomy, which includes mapping, ADAS, MaaS and consumer AVs. The agreements build on other recent announcements, including: an agreement with RATP in partnership with the city of Paris to bring robotaxis to France; a collaboration with NIO to manufacture Mobileye’s self-driving system and sell consumer AVs based on that system, and to supply robotaxis exclusively to Mobileye for China and other markets; a joint venture with UniGroup in China for use of map data; and a joint venture with Volkswagen and Champion Motors to operate an autonomous ride-hailing fleet in Israel.

Based on third-party data, Mobileye estimates the autonomous MaaS total addressable market (TAM) at $160 billion by 2030. Mobileye’s ADAS leadership, uniquely scalable mapping tools and global robotaxi-based mobility ambitions have been designed to address this massive opportunity.

China is the first country to benefit from the four Mobileye strategic product categories. With the addition of the SAIC agreement, Mobileye’s China footprint now includes L2+ ADAS, mapping (a first for China), MaaS and consumer AVs.

How the SAIC Agreement Works: SAIC and Mobileye have signed an agreement to use Mobileye’s Road Experience Management™ (REM™) mapping technology on SAIC vehicles via SAIC’s licensed map subsidiary (Heading). SAIC vehicles will contribute to Mobileye’s RoadBook by gathering information on China’s roadways, creating a high-definition map of the country that can be used by vehicles with L2+ and higher levels of autonomy. The deployment of the mapping solution in China presents opportunities for additional OEM partners to enter the Chinese market with map-related features.

The SAIC agreement marks Mobileye’s first design win with a major Chinese automaker to harvest road data while also utilizing Mobileye’s REM mapping technology to enable L2+ in passenger vehicles.

SAIC joins other Mobileye OEM partners around the world in collecting road data to enable a global real-time high-definition map. It is the first Chinese OEM to use Mobileye’s REM technology to offer sharper ADAS capabilities and accelerate the development of autonomous driving in China.

How the Daegu Metropolitan City Agreement Works: Mobileye and Daegu City will collaborate to test and deploy robotaxi-based mobility solutions powered by Mobileye’s autonomous vehicle technology. Mobileye will integrate its industry-leading self-driving system into vehicles to enable a driverless MaaS operation. Daegu Metropolitan City partners will ensure the regulatory framework supports the establishment of robotaxi fleet operation.

The agreement with Daegu City, one of South Korea’s largest metropolitan areas, extends Mobileye’s global MaaS footprint. Combined with Mobileye’s previously announced robotaxi-based mobility services agreements, the new deal shows how Mobileye is quickly scaling its autonomous MaaS ambitions globally. No other MaaS provider has declared a global MaaS footprint that rivals Mobileye’s strategy and go-to-market plan.

How Mobileye’s Strategy Differs: Leaders on the road to full autonomy must successfully navigate the phases of both ADAS and MaaS before the consumer AV industry can take shape. Doing this requires a simple, scalable mapping solution, such as Mobileye’s REM. With its eye toward full autonomy, Mobileye addresses these critical aspects of the autonomous revolution.

REM technology: Because it relies on crowd sourcing and low-bandwidth uploads, Mobileye REM technology is a fast and cost-effective way to create high-definition maps that can be utilized for enhanced ADAS such as L2+, as well as higher levels of autonomy for future self-driving cars. Mobileye’s REM map data has significant value beyond the automotive industry and can bring insights to businesses in new market segments, such as smart cities. SAIC is the latest OEM to turn passenger cars into harvesting vehicles that will contribute to the global RoadBook.

Robotaxis: Mobileye’s strategy for deploying robotaxis covers the specification, development and integration of all five value layers of the robotaxi market including: self-driving systems, self-driving vehicles, fleet operations, mobility intelligence, and rider experience and services. Mobileye’s approach is cost-effective, allowing the company to scale global operations more quickly than competitors and thereby capture a greater share of the aforementioned $160 billion global robotaxi opportunity, which is a significant step on the way to the fully autonomous future. Mobileye’s unique approach of scaling globally with a more economical solution, coupled with its superior technology, enable the company to lead MaaS and consumer-AV development at scale well ahead of the market.