Chinese on-demand mobility platform Didi Chuxing announced Thursday that it was setting-up labs in Silicon Valley to attract top engineering talent.
The Didi U.S. labs will primarily focus on big-data-based security and intelligent driving technology, and are a landmark step for the company to create a global innovation nexus.
"Sweeping changes are taking place in the global transport and automobile industries," said Cheng Wei, founder, chairman and CEO of Didi Chuxing, adding that they would build on rich data and fast-evolving AI analytics to work with cities and towns to build intelligent transport ecosystems for the future.
Cheng pointed out that Didi's international vision now extended to building the best-in-class international research network to advance the global transport revolution through innovation.
Didi's current projects span cloud-based security, deep learning, human-machine interaction, computer vision and imaging, as well as intelligent driving technology.
Meanwhile, Didi U.S. Labs will work in tandem with the broader Didi research network to advance its global strategy, apply its research findings and help cities develop smart transport.
In the next decade, Didi aims to lead innovation in the optimization of transportation infrastructure, introduce new energy vehicles and intelligent driving systems and shift the human-automotive relationship from ownership to shared access, according to Didi's CTO Bob Zhang.
