From Financial Times
FT.com
Toyota has unveiled plans to set up a separate robotics unit in Silicon Valley, as the world’s biggest carmaker seeks to fight back against incursions into the sector by Californian tech groups Tesla, Google and Apple.
The Japanese company said it would hire 200 employees and invest $1bn to set up the Toyota Research Institute, which will focus on developing artificial intelligence and robotics.
Carmakers have been moving into the tech industry heartland of Silicon Valley for several decades, with many of them setting up research and design offices. But the shift has taken on added urgency in the past few years as rivals from inside and outside the industry have stepped up their efforts to develop self-driving cars.
Toyota’s announcement comes two months after it hired Gill Pratt, the top robotics expert from Darpa, the US defence department’s research arm. It has also promised to spend an extra $50m on artificial intelligence research alongside Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“If the race is very long, who knows who will win,” Mr Pratt said. “The problem of adding safety and accessibility to cars, and also to go beyond in robotics and other fields, is extremely difficult. The truth is we are only at the beginning of this race.”
Auto industry companies have been scrambling to show off their latest developments in autonomous driving. The recent Tokyo Motor Show saw a number of unveilings — including a Nissan vehicle that claims to learn its owner’s driving habits and offers an interior that can transform into a living room.
But while the technology developed by companies from Google to Audi — as well as suppliers such as Delphi — means full self-driving is within reach, it will probably take time for regulation to catch up. Tesla last month began offering “Autopilot” software but warned drivers to keep their hands on the wheel at all times.
Having long been seen as cautious towards autonomous driving, Toyota is now embracing that field as well as artificial intelligence technology that has applications beyond the auto industry.
“AI has the potential to become a key technology that supports industries beyond vehicles,” said Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s president and chief executive.
Toyota’s interest in robotics technology extends back decades and well beyond cars to industrial machines and robots that can play the trumpet. It recently developed a robot that resembles R2-D2 from the Star Wars saga and can pick things up for people with disabilities and the elderly.
The new research institute also represents part of Toyota’s attempts to renew itself after a damaging global car recall several years ago over unintended acceleration. It is also making advances in areas such as hydrogen fuel-cell cars, while focusing on profitability rather than breakneck global expansion.
“I faced many challenges after becoming president and both the company and I did not have capacity to look forward,” said Mr Toyoda. “Now we are prepared to stand in the batter’s box with an eye towards the future.
“Are we too late or early? Wait and see how we go from here.”
