Baidu’s Driverless Taxi Expansion in Europe
Baidu, the Chinese technology company, is preparing to test its driverless taxi service, Apollo Go, for the first time in Europe, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
Baidu plans to establish a local entity in Switzerland within the next few months and aims to start testing the technology by the end of this year, as per WSJ’s information from sources familiar with the matter.
Baidu has been in discussions with PostAuto, a Swiss bus service provider, to launch its robotaxi service in Switzerland, according to the WSJ report. However, Swiss Post, the parent company of PostAuto, stated in an email to Reuters that there is currently no partnership or collaboration between their unit or Swiss Post and Baidu or any other technology provider.
In addition to Switzerland, Baidu intends to introduce Apollo Go in Turkey, as reported by WSJ.
BanBajío Receives Positive Outlook from Moody’s
BanBajío, a Mexican lending institution specializing in providing credit to businesses, has received an upgrade in its outlook for long-term local currency deposit ratings from ‘stable’ to ‘positive’ by Moody’s Local México.
Moody’s confirmed BanBajío’s rating at ‘AA+.mx’ due to its conservative portfolio management, solid coverage of reserves for credit losses with proven predictive capability in the face of adverse economic conditions over the past decade, and the effectiveness of its collateral in mitigating exposures.
Moody’s Local México anticipates that BanBajío will continue to deliver strong performance in the coming year, despite a weaker economic cycle and high inflation.
Warner Bros. Discovery Rebrands Max to HBO Max
Warner Bros. Discovery, a U.S.-based media conglomerate, announced that its on-demand streaming content platform Max will revert to HBO Max this summer.
This change brings the platform back to its original name after several years of being known as Max. Warner Bros. Discovery stated that its streaming business has generated $3 billion in profit within just two years and gained 22 million new subscribers during the last year, aiming to reach 150 million by the end of 2026.
Databricks Acquires Neon for $100 Million
Databricks announced on Wednesday that it would acquire database company Neon in a $100 million deal, aiming to bolster its analytics platform with technology that simplifies the development and utilization of AI agents.
The demand for AI agents, programs requiring minimal human intervention to execute routine tasks like writing code or sending emails, has been growing as businesses adopt new technology to automate workflows and enhance efficiency.
Neon’s cloud platform, built on the open-source PostgreSQL database system, aids developers and AI agents in storing, accessing, and managing real-time data, which facilitates the creation and deployment of AI-driven applications.
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: What is Baidu’s driverless taxi service called? A: Apollo Go
- Q: In which European countries will Baidu test Apollo Go? A: Switzerland and Turkey
- Q: What was the outcome of Moody’s review of BanBajío’s long-term local currency deposit ratings? A: The outlook was upgraded from ‘stable’ to ‘positive’
- Q: Why is Warner Bros. Discovery changing Max back to HBO Max? A: To revert to the platform’s original name
- Q: What is Databricks’ motivation for acquiring Neon? A: To strengthen its analytics platform with AI-enabling technology
