SK Telecom, Mars Auto join forces to develop autonomous truck tech

SK Telecom, Korea's top mobile carrier, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a local autonomous vehicle startup to collaborate on advanced technology for self-driving trucks.

SK Telecom's Chung Seok-geun, the head of the company's global and AI tech business unit, left, and Mars Auto's Chief Operating Officer Roh Jae-kyoung, pose for a photo after signing a partnership at SK Telecom's office building in Jung District, central Seoul. [SK TELECOM]

SK Telecom, Korea's top mobile carrier, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a local autonomous vehicle startup to collaborate on advanced technology for self-driving trucks.

The telecom company said Monday that the company will work with Mars Auto to collect and analyze data needed to develop advanced self-driving technology.

Larger vehicles, such as trucks, require AI software to evaluate and anticipate traffic conditions using real-time networks that transfer data instantaneously, given their size and greater braking distance.

SK Telecom plans to provide Mars Auto with better connectivity based on its 5G networks and share AI-related technologies for the two companies to become the market leader in launching autonomous trucks.

Mars Auto is a company that develops AI-powered software to run self-driving trucks for freight transportation.

The company’s key technology is “Mars Pilot,” a self-driving AI system that can make driving decisions based on machine learning using seven cameras installed on a truck.

The company aims to train Mars Pilot using 100 million kilometers (about 62 million miles) of accumulated road data aided by a real-time network provided by SK Telecom.

“We were able to acquire the infrastructure needed to maximize the potential of our AI software,” Mars Auto CEO Park Il-soo said in a statement. “We will create a safer, more efficient driverless service.”

SK Telecom’s Chung Seok-geun, the head of the company's global and AI tech business unit, said the partnership will “fast forward commercialization of AI-powered self-driving trucks.”

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]