It’s been rumored for years that Apple is going to enter the automotive industry with its own car, but Apple CEO Tim Cook has put those rumors to rest. Instead of developing its own car, Apple is working on autonomous technology for future self-driving cars.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Tim Cook stated, “We’re focusing on autonomous systems. It’s a core technology that we view as very important.” He continued by stating that the project is “the mother of all AI projects,” and that it’s “probably one of the most difficult AI projects to work on.”
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Apple initially wanted to build its own car, which saw Apple hire more than 1,000 engineers to work on the car team, called Project Titan in 2014. After two years of working on its own car, Apple decided last year to refocus its efforts on autonomous technology.
Today Apple is still being quiet about the technology that it’s working on, but Apple did receive a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles in April to test three self-driving SUVs. Another person familiar with Project Titan has also confirmed that at least a half-dozen vehicles have been testing the self-driving technology on public roads in and around San Francisco for the past year.
Source: Bloomberg