Samsung gets L-plates to test out self-driving car solutions

Samsung has notched a win in the race to the self-driving car as the South Korean government has given the company permission to test its solutions on the road.

Ambitions for the company to enter into this lucrative arena are hardly new, pretty much every tech company wants to play with self-driving cars, but this certainly is a milestone. Testing solutions on test tracks is a strong start for any challenger, but it is hardly going to impress the car manufacturers in the long-run.

The car itself will be a Hyundai customized with Samsung’s own gear, though what this gear is specifically is unknown for the moment. According to the Korea Herald, Samsung is aiming to develop sensors and computer modules backed by artificial intelligence and the deep-learning technologies.

Samsung holding ambitions to supply sensors and processors to the industry is hardly a surprise, however a strong move into the software side of things may be more of an eyebrow raiser. Samsung is hardly known as a heavy weight in the world of software, especially considering it will be pitting itself against some more experienced players.

Perhaps this is more of an indication of how the self-driving car space will go. Simply offering one component of the overall project might not be enough, as several companies are gearing themselves up to offer complete solutions. Intel is a prime example, as coupled with its traditional portfolio, the recent acquisition of Mobileye adds sensors to the proposition, while subsidiary Wind River offers embedded software for intelligent connected systems.

Samsung might have a promising start in its entry to the world of self-driving cars, however it will still have to convince a few people of its software pedigree if the one-stop-shop is the end goal.