VIA and King Long Bus Sign Strategic Agreement to Promote 5G and Autonomous Vehicle Innovation for Next-Generation Mobility Applications

VIA Technologies, Inc. and Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., Ltd today announced that they have entered into a strategic agreement to promote 5G and autonomous vehicle innovation for next-generation mobility applications.

• Joint development of 5G, AI, and autonomous vehicle technologies and use cases
• Integration of self-driving and ADAS systems for diverse vehicle types
• Co-creation of autonomous vehicle technology educational programs for vocational institutions to inspire future industry talent

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will leverage their complementary experience and expertise in the development of advanced vehicle safety and driver assistance AI technologies and the design and manufacturing of market-leading commercial passenger and goods delivery vehicles to create groundbreaking solutions for this fast-growing new market. Key initiatives the two companies will work on include:

• Development of 5G, AI, AV, and Cloud Intelligence technologies to enable new use cases for diverse passenger transportation, goods delivery, and industrial scenarios;
• Optimization of VIA Mobile360 AI safety and driver assistance systems for diverse vehicle types and commercial usage models;
• Creation of autonomous vehicle educational and training programs for vocational schools and colleges to enable students to pursue career opportunities in the AV industry.

“King Long Bus is on the cutting-edge of the development and manufacturing of smart passenger and delivery vehicles, with an inspiring vision for the future of mobility,” said Richard Brown, Vice-President of International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “We are extremely excited to be working closely with King Long to deliver on this vision by creating innovative new solutions that meet the emerging needs of this fast-growing market.”

“Through this partnership with VIA, we plan to accelerate the development of leading-edge autonomous vehicles for myriad commercial applications and use cases,” Chen Weiqiang, General Manager of King Long Bus commented. “By harnessing our mutual strengths, we are committed to making a significant contribution towards the overall development of the China EV and AV industry.”

With its global leadership in the construction and deployment of 5G infrastructure and the development and manufacturing of EVs, China provides an unrivaled platform for creating groundbreaking mobility solutions. The coastal city of Xiamen provides the ideal high-connectivity environment for the incubation of these innovations and their initial commercial deployment, with over 1.2 million 5G subscribers and nearly 5,000 5G base stations already installed across the city and its surroundings.

A key initiative is the launch of a comprehensive suite of educational programs to teach university and vocational institution students how to design, build, and maintain autonomous EVs. Based on the VIA Headway Autonomous Vehicle Education and Research Platform, these programs provide students the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of core autonomous driving technologies and gain hands-on experience in developing AI applications and integrating them into vehicles.

The signing ceremony for the agreement took place on 25 December 2020 at the inaugural Xiamen 5G Industrial Alliance conference held in Xiamen as part of the 16th Cross-Straits Information Industry Forum. The ceremony was attended by senior officials from the China Information Industry Association, the Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Fujian Association for Science and Technology, the Xiamen City Government, and the Xiang’an District Government.

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