In the fall of 2017, ZF signed a strategic collaboration with Chinese technology firm Baidu to advance autonomous driving technologies in China. Now the two companies are implementing their first system based on the ZF ProAI supercomputer for autonomous driving. The system supports a feature that can drive a vehicle to a parking space and back without driver input. Drivers use a smartphone app to summon and park their vehicle. The valet parking technology is currently being rolled out in a test fleet owned by Pand Auto, one of China's biggest carsharing companies.

Torsten Gollewski, Manager Advanced Engineering and Design at ZF, explains: "ZF ProAI is ready for production. It is the result of our cooperation with NVIDIA, which we announced exactly one year ago at CES 2017. In our current project with Baidu, this supercomputer once again shows how we are accelerating autonomous driving and also makes it simpler for new players in the industry to demonstrate mobility innovations." Zhenyu Li, Vice President and General Manager of the Intelligent Driving Group at Baidu: "ZF's supercomputer is ideal for our autonomous driving applications, as it can process a huge amount of data such as high-definition digital maps in real time. In addition, it combines artificial intelligence with deep learning capabilities and meets all the current automotive standards."

According to ZF, the cutting-edge valet parking system, which till now has primarily been developed to significantly reduce operating costs for carsharing providers and greatly improve processes and convenience for their vehicle users, will prove popular among mobility service providers and vehicle manufacturers alike. Both will have a great opportunity to take an in-depth look at the new system at the upcoming HANNOVER MESSE 2018.