Baidu, CATL ally on autonomous driving, smart digitalization solutions

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Baidu and CATL recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement, focusing on two core areas: autonomous driving and smart digitalization, aiming to accelerate the development and adoption of autonomous mobility services and AI applications in industry, CATL announced on February 27 via its WeChat account.

The two companies will explore collaborative efforts leveraging their respective strengths, including CATL's advanced power batteries, battery swapping products, and skateboard chassis technology for autonomous vehicle development. The partnership also aims to create competitive unmanned vehicle products and innovative business models, providing users with more convenient and high-quality transportation services.  

As a leading tech company in China, Baidu will offer its full-stack AI capabilities to support CATL's digitalization initiatives. This includes contributions across the chip, platform, and application layers, contributing to a greener transformation and helping to shape the future of intelligent energy.  

In Baidu's latest earnings call, CEO Robin Li highlighted the impressive growth of Apollo Go, Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing service. Apollo Go completed 1.1 million rides in the fourth quarter of 2024, marking a 36% year-on-year surge. By January 2025, Apollo Go's cumulative ride volume exceeded 9 million. The service transitioned to fully driverless operations across China in February 2025, setting new industry standards.