On Monday, Intel said that it is supplying self-driving systems to Silicon Valley startup Udelv, which within two years plans to have a fleet of autonomous delivery vehicles in action. In a joint release, the companies Udelv and Mobileye, both units at Intel, said that they aim to produce more than 35,000 driverless “Transporters” by the year 2028.
“Our deal with Udelv is significant for its size, scope and rapid deployment timeline,” said Mobileye chief Amnon Shashua. “Covid-19 has accelerated demand for autonomous goods delivery, and we are delighted to partner with Udelv to address this demand in the near term.”
According to the startup’s chief executive, Daniel Laury, the comprehensive Mobileye Drive system will allow Udelv to ramp up production and deployment of the Transporter vehicles. A combination of self-driving technology with robotics allows the Udelv automated delivery vehicles to be assisted with unloading cargo, according to its website.
“Early on, we determined that one element is inseparable from the other,” said Udelv. “Without autonomy, one cannot remove the driver; and without the delivery robotics, an autonomous vehicle remains utterly useless.”
Carrying payloads of more than 800 pounds (363 kilograms), the company said that it has made thousands of automated deliveries in the United States. It is expected that the autonomous driving technology to catch on first for deliveries, since the process involves carrying products instead of people typically taking the repetitive routes.
Amazon, Tesla and Google are among those companies that is currently investing in systems to enable vehicles to safely drive themselves. Intel also announced that it will invest in building two new plants as a part of its plan to ramp up chip production in the United States and Europe. This move by Intel has companies and countries looking to reduce alliance on plants in Asia for semiconductors, which are widely used in a growing array of products such as cars.
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