China's Baidu technology company has launched the country's largest robotaxi fleet in Hunan Province. The company made the announcement during the annual Baidu Create AI developer conference. Let's take a look at Baidu's plans for developing intelligent driving in China.

During this year's annual Baidu Create AI developer conference, the company announced the launch of China's biggest robotaxi fleet in Changsha, Hunan Province, that allows users to hail a self-driving ride created by Baidu's autonomous driving and intelligent road infrastructure.

LI ZHENYU, VP OF INTELLIGENT DRIVING GROUP BAIDU "Under the program, a 5G network and an intelligent upgrade of roadway infrastructure will be used to lay the groundwork for what will be the country's largest L4 self-driving taxi fleet. The program is also slated to be launched as part of the Hunan capital's smart city upgrade."

During the forum, the company's CEO Robin Li also announced new partnership with Chinese carmaker Geely on smart connectivity, intelligent driving, smart home and e-commerce.

ROBIN LI, CEO & CHAIRMAN BAIDU "AI is definitely transforming the transportation sector, the strategic partnership will empower AI to create more spontaneous and convenient interactions between humans and vehicles. It will also accelerate the intelligent transformation of the mobility industry, supporting China in its transformation to become a leader in the age of smart mobility."

LI SHUFU, CHAIRMAN GEELY HOLDING GROUP "Baidu has the world's leading AI capabilities with extensive and unparalleled expertise in smart driving technology. Through strategic partnerships, we are committed to create a futuristic smart mobility ecosystem and a brand-new value experience for customers to enjoy."

Baidu also revealed that its fleet of 300 L4 autonomous vehicles across 13 cities, had recently surpassed the 2 million kilometer mark for distance driven in urban roads. It has also just become the first company in China to acquire the license for "T4" road-tests---which is an open-road test license, signifying that an autonomous vehicle has the ability to drive on complex urban roads, tunnels and school zones and respond to a range of complicated scenarios.