Ford recently announced the launch of a new subsidiary, Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC (FAV), that will focus on developing and deploying self-driving vehicles. The company has invested $4 billion in the venture, which is expected to be operational by 2021.
Ford’s move into autonomous driving technology comes as no surprise given the increasing demand for such services from consumers and businesses alike. Self-driving cars are seen as a way to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety, and provide more efficient transportation options. With its new subsidiary, Ford hopes to capitalize on this trend by becoming an industry leader in autonomous vehicle development and deployment.
The newly formed FAV will be led by Sherif Marakby, who previously served as Vice President of Autonomous Vehicle Solutions at Uber Technologies Inc., where he was responsible for leading the development of their self-driving car program. Marakby brings with him extensive experience in both software engineering and product management within the automotive industry. He also holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
In addition to Marakby’s leadership role at FAV, Ford has assembled a team of experienced engineers from various disciplines including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) algorithms design & optimization; computer vision; sensor fusion; mapping & localization; simulation & testing; operations research & analytics; user experience design & human factors engineering; system architecture design & integration; hardware/software systems integration among others . This team will work together to develop advanced technologies that enable safe operation of fully autonomous vehicles on public roads without any human intervention or oversight required whatsoever – something that could revolutionize personal mobility around the world if successful!
To ensure success with its ambitious plans for self-driving cars , Ford is investing heavily in research partnerships with universities like MIT , Carnegie Mellon , UC Berkeley , Stanford , Oxford University etc . These collaborations aim to bring together experts across multiple fields such as AI / ML algorithms design optimization ; computer vision ; sensor fusion ; mapping localization ; simulation testing ; operations research analytics etc . In addition , these partnerships allow access to cutting edge technologies developed by some of the best minds in academia today – something which would otherwise not be available through traditional corporate R&D efforts alone !
Furthermore , FAV is actively seeking out strategic partners outside academia too – companies like Argo AI have already been acquired by Ford so they can leverage their expertise when it comes time for commercializing their products . Additionally , other tech giants like Google have been approached about potential collaborations due to their vast resources related specifically towards developing driverless car solutions . All these efforts combined should help accelerate progress towards achieving full autonomy sooner rather than later !
Overall it seems clear that Ford is taking all necessary steps towards making sure they remain competitive within this rapidly evolving space – one which promises great rewards if done right but carries significant risks too ! It remains yet unclear how exactly things will play out over time but one thing we do know : there’s never been a better time than now for automakers looking get involved with autonomous vehicle technology!
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