The Chinese tech firm will sell off-the-shelf hardware to automate third-party cars.
Background: Baidu has an open tech platform for self-driving cars called Apollo, which allows developers to access training data and autonomy software for free.
What’s new: At a meeting in Beijing on Friday, Baidu said it will sell a range of hardware called Apollo Computing Units that will plug into cars to run its software.
Why it matters: Offering free software and charging for hardware is a savvy way to translate AI chops into profits. It could help Baidu out-Waymo Waymo. — Yiting Sun
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