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Intel Takes 15 Percent Stake in German Digital Mapping Firm Here

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Intel Takes 15 Percent Stake in German Digital Mapping Firm Here

US chip maker Intel will take a 15 percent stake in German digital mapping firm Here, it said on Tuesday, as it seeks to build its presence in automated driving technology.

A filing to the German cartel office on Tuesday showed Intel has sought approval to buy a stake in the company, which is controlled by German carmakers Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen .

Intel and Here said in a statement that they had also signed an agreement to collaborate on the research and development of real-time updates of high definition (HD) maps for highly- and fully-automated driving.

Intel did not disclose how much it would pay for the stake but said the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter.

The deal highlights a shift in the dynamics of research and development in the car industry, which until recently saw automakers largely dictating terms for suppliers to manufacture their proprietary technologies at specified volumes and prices.

Now carmakers are increasingly striking partnerships with technology firms using open technology standards, seeking to harness their expertise in areas including machine learning and mapping as they race against Silicon Valley companies such as Google, Tesla and Apple to develop driverless vehicles.

Last month two Chinese companies and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC agreed to buy a 10 percent stake in Here and in July, BMW teamed up with Intel and Mobileye to develop self-driving cars by 2021.

BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen bought Here for EUR 2.8 billion ($2.9 billion) in 2015 from mobile equipment maker Nokia of Finland.

Last September, Here said it would introduce a new set of traffic services allowing drivers to see for themselves what live road conditions are like miles ahead using data from competing automakers, an industry first.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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Internet

Here Mapping Firm Sells Stake to Chinese Investors

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Here Mapping Firm Sells Stake to Chinese Investors

Two Chinese companies and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC have agreed to buy a 10 percent stake in a digital mapping company controlled by Germany’s leading carmakers to help them develop self-driving cars.

Chinese digital mapping company NavInfo, Internet group Tencent and the Singapore fund will invest in mapping company Here under a deal announced on Tuesday.

China is pushing the development of electric and autonomous cars and has made several high-profile investments in high tech companies in Europe.

German carmakers Audi, BMW and Daimler will reduce their combined ownership of Here by 10 percent, Here and the buyers said in a statement.

China is on track to overtake the United States as the largest market for premium cars, a step which forces the German manufacturers to find alliances with local players in Asia to help them expand new services such as autonomous driving.

Here and the Chinese consortium did not disclose financial details of the deal, which they expect to close in the first half of 2017.
Germany’s luxury carmakers bought Here from Nokia for EUR 2.55 billion ($2.6 billion) last year to create a platform for developing self-driving cars and to secure their access to intelligent high-precision mapping systems.

The German carmakers have developed their own prototype autonomous vehicles and wanted to cut their dependence on mapping data from software giant Google which has also developed a self-driving vehicle.

Here needs capital to expand its network of high-precision maps quickly, and has been in discussion with potential partners including Amazon.com, Microsoft and Bosch.

Self-driving cars need such maps to navigate, and use sensors to create services such as a system for monitoring road conditions and finding parking spaces by using vehicle-mounted cameras to scan the road ahead.

China has taken an interest in automotive technology investments to help develop its autonomous and self driving car know-how.

Earlier this month Chinese mobile operating systems company Thunder Software Technology Co Ltd (Thundersoft) agreed to acquire Finnish automotive software company Rightware for EUR 64 million ($67 million).

Future Mobility, a Chinese automaker controlled by Tencent Holdings has poached autonomous driving personnel from Google, Daimler and BMW in the race to make self-driving cars.

There have also been high-profile takeover approaches for high-tech companies in Europe, particularly in Germany, though Chinese overtures have not always been welcome.

Home appliance maker Midea bought industrial robot firm Kuka in a EUR 4.5 billion deal in May, in what was the biggest Chinese deal for a German industrial technology company.

China’s Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund withdrew a EUR 670 million bid for chip equipment maker Aixtron this month after the United States blocked the acquisition of its US division on national security grounds and German authorities withdrew their approval.

Germany and China have become involved in an increasingly public dispute about access to each others’ markets, with China complaining about unfair scrutiny of its acquisition targets in Germany, and Germany wanting reciprocal access to firms in China.

Here also said it will form a joint venture with NavInfo to extend its products to China using NavInfo’s data and services.

Tencent will use Here’s mapping and location platform services in its own products, both in China and internationally.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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Internet

Google Says Disappointed by South Korean Refusal on Mapping Data

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Google Says Disappointed by South Korean Refusal on Mapping Data

South Korea rejected a request by Google to use local mapping data in the company’s global maps service in a long-awaited ruling Friday that had divided the country for months.

The company said it was disappointed by the decision, which the land ministry said was based on concerns over national security.

“We’re disappointed by this decision. We’ve always taken security concerns very seriously and will continue to provide useful map services in compliance with Korea’s current map data export regulation,” Taj Meadows, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement.

The South Korean government said the risks outweighed benefits from exporting the country’s mapping data to Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc.

South Korea, facing the overt threat of rival North Korea, bars exporting local mapping data to foreign companies that do not operate domestic data servers.

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., handles its maps service at data centers outside South Korea. The restrictions have limited the usefulness of Google Maps within South Korea, since the app cannot offer driving or walking directions.

The government had proposed granting permission to Google to use local mapping data for Google Maps if the company would blur sensitive information on South Korean military facilities on its satellite map.

“Our position from the start was that if it deletes security facilities, we would allow exporting (the local mapping data),” said Kim Tong-il, an official at the land ministry. “Google’s position is that it won’t delete those. The question was whether we would allow that regardless.”

South Korea has been divided over the issue since Google filed its request in June. The government extended an August deadline to this month, highlighting disagreements between government ministries.

The long-time deliberation reflects growing support for Google within some government ministries that are trying to promote tourism and local firms’ overseas businesses. One of the biggest inconveniences that foreign tourists run into in South Korea, which has some of the fastest and cheapest internet access in the world, is the lack of an online mapping service with navigation and directions in foreign languages.

Some local businesses and consumers opposed giving Google full access to the local mapping data, saying it would be unfair to local companies that operate local data servers to support their map services. They said Google should build data centers in South Korea instead of seeking an exemption from the rules.

Google said earlier that restricting Google Maps in South Korea would be an inconvenience for foreigners visiting the host country of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018.

It also argued that restrictions on exporting the local mapping data could hinder efforts of companies to roll out global services using locations data and will deprive local consumers of cutting-edge services.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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