丰田豪掷10亿美元进军无人驾驶 与谷歌展开AI竞赛
丰田豪掷10亿美元进军无人驾驶 与谷歌展开AI竞赛
Toyota Invests $1 Billion in AI to Challenge Google in Self-Driving Race
导语：丰田汽车宣布将投资10亿美元成立人工智能研究院，全力发展无人驾驶技术，与谷歌、特斯拉等科技巨头展开正面竞争。
Introduction: Toyota Motor announced a $1 billion investment to establish an AI research institute, fully committing to self-driving technology and competing head-to-head with tech giants like Google and Tesla.
丰田汽车近日宣布，将在未来5年内投资10亿美元成立丰田汽车研究院(TRI)，专注于人工智能和机器人技术的研发。新公司将于2016年1月启动，计划招聘200名员工，选址在斯坦福大学或麻省理工学院附近。
Toyota Motor recently announced it will invest $1 billion over the next five years to establish the Toyota Research Institute (TRI), focusing on AI and robotics R&D. The new company will launch in January 2016, hiring 200 employees near Stanford University or MIT.
丰田此举旨在加速其无人驾驶技术的发展。今年10月，丰田已展示过基于雷克萨斯GS改装的自动驾驶概念车"公路之友"，该车能在高速公路上实现车道变换、速度调节等自动驾驶功能。丰田计划在2020年前将该技术投入量产，以赶上东京奥运会展示机会。
Toyota aims to accelerate its self-driving technology development. In October, it showcased the "Highway Teammate" autonomous concept car based on a modified Lexus GS, capable of lane changing and speed adjustment on highways. Toyota plans to commercialize the technology by 2020 for the Tokyo Olympics.
与谷歌的差异化竞争
Differentiation from Google
与谷歌专注于完全自动驾驶不同，丰田特别关注老年驾驶者市场。考虑到日本和美国市场日益严重的老龄化问题，丰田希望通过辅助驾驶技术帮助老年人保持独立出行能力。
Unlike Google's focus on full autonomy, Toyota particularly targets the elderly driver market. Considering the aging populations in Japan and the U.S., Toyota aims to help seniors maintain independent mobility through assisted driving technology.
TRI首席执行官Gill Pratt表示："无人驾驶领域的竞争是持久战而非短跑。只要比赛够长，谁能保证一定是哪辆车能赢呢？"Pratt曾任美国国防高级研究计划局(DARPA)机器人挑战赛负责人，具有深厚的军方机器人研发背景。
TRI CEO Gill Pratt stated: "The competition in autonomous driving is a marathon, not a sprint. In a long enough race, who can predict which car will win?" Pratt previously led DARPA's Robotics Challenge with extensive military robotics experience.
行业竞争格局
Competitive Landscape
目前全球无人驾驶领域竞争者众多，包括传统车企通用、日产，科技公司谷歌、苹果，以及新兴企业特斯拉、Uber等。丰田预计本财年盈利将达185亿美元，手握充足资金投入未来技术研发。
The global autonomous driving field has numerous competitors including traditional automakers (GM, Nissan), tech companies (Google, Apple), and startups (Tesla, Uber). Toyota expects $18.5 billion profit this fiscal year, with ample funds for future technology development.
据世界卫生组织统计，全球每年约有125万人死于交通事故。无人驾驶技术的普及将大幅提升道路安全，这也是各大企业竞相投入的重要原因。
According to WHO, about 1.25 million people die annually in traffic accidents worldwide. The adoption of autonomous technology will significantly improve road safety, a key driver for corporate investments.
