Samsung unveils driverless car parts, infotainment platform

South Korean electronics giant also showcased a ‘digital cockpit’ that allows drivers to personalise cars even if they do not own them

Tim Baxter, president and chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics America, speaks at the company’s keynote presentation during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. Electric and driverless cars will remain a big part of this year’s CES, as makers of high-tech cameras, batteries, and AI software vie to climb into automakers’ dashboards. Photograph: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Samsung Electronics unveiled its first set of components for autonomous driving and infotainment solutions developed with Harman International, which it bought about a year ago in a major push into the auto electronics market. The automotive industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the technology market, with carmakers looking to add more autonomous features as the race to put driverless cars on the road heats up.

At an annual trade show in Las Vegas this week, Samsung Electronics unveiled an automotive camera system featuring collision warning, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control, developed in collaboration with Harman.

Samsung bought Harman in an $8 billion deal that closed in March 2017, the biggest overseas acquisition ever by a South Korean company.

Samsung plans to begin shipping the camera system, which is built on machine learning and augmented reality, this year. It did not give details on the exact timing.

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Samsung also showcased a “digital cockpit” that allows drivers to personalise cars even if they do not own them as it pulls users’ profile from their mobile devices and cloud. Harman and

Samsung outlined their plan to deliver 5G technology for cars, adding Harman had secured a “leading European automaker” as a client.

Samsung in September had announced that it set up a strategic business unit for autonomous and advanced driver assistance services, together with a $300 million fund to invest in automotive start-ups and technology.

Reuters