Uber to start work on driverless technology

Uber is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to develop mapping and driverless car technology, the company announced Monday. 

The app-based taxi hailing service said it would help create the Uber Advanced Technologies Center near the Carnegie Mellon campus, to allow the company to work with the university and its National Robotics Engineering Center.

{mosads}The center will focus primarily on mapping, “autonomy technology” and vehicle safety. 

The move could eventually put Uber in competition with Google, which has been developing self-driving technology for years. Uber’s mapping development could also make the company less reliant on Google Maps and other mapping technology that it currently uses. 

Google has been a heavy backer of Uber in the past. The search giant’s venture capital arm has invested more than $250 million in the company, which is currently valued at $40 billion. 

Uber’s announcement Monday came on the same day that Bloomberg reported Google is working on its own ride-hailing service that “most likely” would utilize its self-driving car project. But other reports reported the project has been overblown and is not associated with its driverless technology.

In response to the report about the apparent rivalry between the two companies, Google tweeted, “We think you’ll find Uber and Lyft work quite well. We use them all the time.”