IAA Motor Show Unveils New Automatic Valet System

The booth of Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors (GWM) is seen during a press preview at the International Motor Show (IAA), in Munich, Germany, Sept. 6, 2021. (AFP)
The booth of Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors (GWM) is seen during a press preview at the International Motor Show (IAA), in Munich, Germany, Sept. 6, 2021. (AFP)
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IAA Motor Show Unveils New Automatic Valet System

The booth of Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors (GWM) is seen during a press preview at the International Motor Show (IAA), in Munich, Germany, Sept. 6, 2021. (AFP)
The booth of Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors (GWM) is seen during a press preview at the International Motor Show (IAA), in Munich, Germany, Sept. 6, 2021. (AFP)

Struggling to find a place to park your car? Not anymore! Your car will soon be able to automatically park itself in any parking lot thanks to a new system unveiled at the Munich Motor Show. According to its developers, the system is "ready" to be deployed.

"This step does not require the driver intervention anymore," said Robert Exler, responsible for the "automatic valet" system at Bosch, according to AFP.

There is no need to wait for self-driving cars to become ubiquitous to use this system that consists of cameras and sensors that direct the car and helps it avoid obstacles.

The new technique was demonstrated during the IAA Motor Show in Munich. Other demonstrations featured cars from several brands such as Mercedes, Ford, and Audi that stopped to allow pedestrians to pass, or to avoid a can in one of the show's parking lots.

The cameras within the lot present "an external view on the exterior of the vehicle to see if any hazards are approaching," explained Exler.

Bosch started the development of the new system in 2015. It relies on a connection that links the cameras with the remotely controlled vehicle to accelerate or decelerate its speed or to move it back without the driver's intervention.



Microsoft Plans to Invest $80 billion on AI-enabled Data Centers in 2025

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
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Microsoft Plans to Invest $80 billion on AI-enabled Data Centers in 2025

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

Microsoft is planning to invest about $80 billion in fiscal 2025 on developing data centers to train artificial intelligence (AI) models and deploy AI and cloud-based applications, the company said in a blog post on Friday.
Investment in AI has surged since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, as companies across sectors seek to integrate artificial intelligence into their products and services.
AI requires enormous computing power, pushing demand for specialized data centers that enable tech companies to link thousands of chips together in clusters.
Microsoft has been investing billions to enhance its AI infrastructure and broaden its data-center network.
Analysts expect Microsoft's fiscal 2025 capital expenditure including capital leases to be $84.24 billion, according to Visible Alpha.
The company's capital expenditure in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 rose 5.3% to $20 billion, Reuters reported.
As OpenAI's primary backer, the tech giant is considered a leading contender among Big Tech companies in the AI race due to its exclusive partnership with the AI chatbot maker.
More than half of Microsoft's $80 billion investment will be in the United States, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said in the blog post.
"Today, the United States leads the global AI race thanks to the investment of private capital and innovations by American companies of all sizes, from dynamic start-ups to well-established enterprises," Smith said.