SK Telecom, Mars Auto to advance self-driving large trucks

South Korea's SK Telecom Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday with the autonomous driving startup Mars Auto for cooperation in the advancement of autonomous driving technology for large trucks.

Both companies have agreed to collaborate in collecting driving data and developing autonomous driving technology using artificial intelligence (AI) in the middle mile delivery sector, where shippers deliver goods to transporters.

Mars Auto, a startup that succeeded in test-driving autonomous trucks in South Korea for the first time in 2019, recently entered the freight transport business. SK Telecom will share its expertise in 5G mobile communications, AI, and autonomous driving, while Mars Auto plans to leverage this knowledge to take the lead in the autonomous cargo transport market.

Large trucks have bigger bodies than passenger cars, and their braking distances are more than twice as long, making real-time communications technology essential for autonomous driving.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com