Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is considering acquiring Drive.ai, a startup focused on the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning for self-driving vehicles, according to The Information.
Two people familiar with the situation told the media outlet that Apple is in the process of negotiating an “acqui-hire” deal with the Drive.Ai
Such deal will help the tech giant strengthen its self-driving vehicle system. Dozens of Drive.ai engineers may end up joining Apple’s engineering team.
Apple believes there is a huge opportunity with autonomous systems
Apple has long been interested to enter in the automobile business. According to Craig Irwin, an analyst at Roth Capital Partners previously told CNBC Apple even tried to acquire Tesla for $240 per share in 2013.
The tech giant has been developing autonomous vehicle systems under “Project Titan. In August last year, Doug Field returned to Apple to work on Project Titan. Field previously supervised Tesla’s engineering and vehicle production.
