Sometimes the best way to transform an industry is to create a new one.
Robotics, AI, simulation…
We’re solving a wide array of challenges in one of the most complex urban environments: San Francisco. From designing custom hardware platforms to writing highly optimized code running at low latencies, engineers from over 100 disciplines are doing the best work of their lives to reshape one of the world’s largest industries.
Challenge accepted
Making self-driving vehicles that are safer than human drivers is not a linear problem. We develop thousands of tools and simulations to accelerate our learning velocity and improve our speed to market. If you want to see your code impact hundreds of self-driving vehicles in San Francisco, our tools and simulations will get you there. Here are just four of our countless tools that we use to accelerate the progress of our self-driving technology.
Hardware, meet software
40percent
of our vehicle's parts are unique to self-driving
Distinct approach
Our deep resources, world-class partners, and technology approach of “hardest challenges first” have made us an industry leader.
We have raised $7.25 billion in committed capital from General Motors, Honda, SoftBank, T. Rowe Price, and others. These investments help shave years off of our timeline to launch all-electric, self-driving vehicles at scale.
Our partners at GM and Honda bring automotive expertise, resources, and credibility. This depth allows us to focus on developing the unique software and hardware needed to make self-driving vehicles a reality.
We test our technology in San Francisco because our vehicles encounter construction, cyclists, pedestrians, and six-way intersections up to 47 times more frequently than in suburban environments. We believe this approach will minimize the amount of time needed to safely qualify our vehicles for commercial deployment.
Today, there are 1.2 billion passenger cars that drive 9.6 trillion miles a year. Analysts estimate this global market to be worth $8 trillion dollars a year. Most experts believe that consumers will shift their behaviors towards on-demand ride-hailing with all-electric, self-driving vehicles. We’re working to accelerate this shift.
The Cruise approach of a fully integrated hardware and software stack gives it a unique competitive advantage. We are very impressed by the advances made by the Cruise and GM teams and are thrilled to help them lead a historic transformation of the automobile industry.
Michael Ronen / Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers