Mobileye and Intel Join Forces In Biggest Autonomous Car Move Ever

Mobileye's products and services cover basically everything a car needs to be self-driving: from mapping to sensor fusion, front- and rear-facing camera tech, and—according to plans for 2018—will soon expand into crowdsourcing data for high definition maps. It has also become a major player in shaping policy intelligence underlying driving decisions. It's a smart company.

During a call this morning announcing the deal, Mobileye’s co-founder Amnon Shashua told reporters the company is working with 27 car manufacturers, including 10 production programs with Audi, BMW and others.

Mobileye, which is based in Israel, partnered early on with Tesla and provided core technology for the California-cased carmaker's Autopilot self-driving system. That relationship ended with no love lost. Since then, rumors have swirled around Mobileye acquisition, with Google and Apple both eyed as suitors. 

Shashua will will stay on board and lead Intel’s newly formed autonomous driving division, which will be based in Israel. Beneath him, Intel SVP Doug Davis will oversee how Mobileye and Intel work together across the whole company.