In May, Uber Technologies and May Mobility, an AV technology firm, entered into a multi-year collaboration to introduce AVs in US cities. The initiative is poised to launch thousands of AVs on the Uber platform, with Arlington, Texas, anticipated to be the first city by the end of this year.

The move will help Baidu internationalize its driverless car business, while Uber will gain a proven partner to take on autonomous driving rivals.

Chinese tech giant Baidu and e-hailing firm Uber have announced a multi-year partnership that will see thousands of the former’s autonomous vehicles deployed on the latter’s platform