Toyota has announced that it will be investing a further USD$1 billion (RM4.3 billion) on top of the initial USD$50 million (RM215 million). This, along with the establishment of the Toyota Research Insititute (TRI), a new R&D enterprise, which will focus on artificial intelligence and robotics – key components of the company’s goal towards autonomous technology.
Slated to commence operations in January 2016, the Toyota Research Institute will be headquartered in Silicon Valley, nearby the Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. A second institute will be situated near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.
The USD$50 million, which the automotive giant announced earlier will be used to set-up separate joint AI research centres at both universities. The larger portion of the investment, will be utilised to fund operations and staff both institutes and is to be spent over a period of five years.
The institute will bring together fundamental research and product development. Its main mission is to accelerate R&D in various fields to help resolve future challenges by society through AI and “big data.” It will be led by Dr. Gill Pratt, Toyota’s executive technical advisor and CEO of TRI who will head leading researchers and engineers.
Pratt stated that the goals of the institute includes, improving safety to decrease the chances of an accident, to make driving accessible to all and to apply Toyota’s outdoor mobility technologies to indoor environments, to support the elderly. That, alongside “improving production efficiency and accelerating scientific discovery in materials,” Dr. Pratt said.
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Toyota come Malaysia la we have very good institutions here also, can work with our very good proton company also envision on self driving car.
What is 1 billion? VW is much more “generous” to spend 18X of that on fine.
Toyota should invest in countries like Malaysia where the local prinicpal cheats and lies about the safety of their cars. Toyota of Japan is a disgrace to allow UMW to still sell cars that do not have VSC and more than 2 airbags.
Please Toyota Japan, we Malaysians deserve better
Unfortunately this is impossible under our protectionism policy. Hence, everything must go through a ‘third party’ local company. The ‘third party’ will benefit and take advantage on price positioning, technological know-how and control of the entire local business chain. Have you ever wonder why Thailand made cars are priced lower and equipped with higher specs? Have you ever wonder why hybrid cars must be manufactured in Malaysia to enjoy tax exemption? Do you have trust with a business partner with a loop sided deal?