Internet services company Baidu demonstrated its self-driving technologies during the Third National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week held at Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park from Sept 15 to Sept 21.

Robin Li, chairman and CEO of Baidu, called the market prospects for self-driving vehicles are a vital part of the artificial intelligence industry and Baidu is willing to share its cutting-edge technologies with industry partners.

He added, "We will usher in an artificial intelligence era."

Baidu exhibits the Apollo self-driving vehicle during the Third National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Activity Week in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In April, Baidu announced a new project called Apollo, which is designed to open up its autonomous driving platform to outside partners – a move to promote the development of self-driving technology.

The company announced on Sept 20 the launch of Apollo 1.5 and to open up its technologies. The Apollo 1.5 will have five core technologies covering obstacle detection, decision planning, cloud simulation, and high-precision map services. The Apollo 1.5 can be pilot driving in the same lane day and night.

Baidu also plans to increase the funding for Apollo to 10 billion yuan ($1.52 billion) in the next three years, through investments on over 100 projects. The internet giant has cultivated 42.9 percent of the country's AI startups.

Baidu announces the launch of Apollo 1.5 and to open up its technologies on Sept 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]