
據(jù)報(bào)道,,亞馬遜正在謀求收購(gòu)無(wú)人駕駛汽車初創(chuàng)公司Zoox,,以進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)張其迅猛發(fā)展的寄遞物流網(wǎng)絡(luò)。
據(jù)《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》本周二報(bào)道,,Zoox的最近一輪融資是在2018年,,當(dāng)時(shí)該公司的估值是32億美元。不過(guò)這一次,,亞馬遜的報(bào)價(jià)將低于這個(gè)估值,。
亞馬遜和Zoox都拒絕對(duì)有關(guān)收購(gòu)的傳聞進(jìn)行評(píng)論。
一家無(wú)人駕駛汽車公司的首席執(zhí)行官卡爾?伊阿格內(nèi)瑪認(rèn)為,,亞馬遜和Zoox之間的收購(gòu)傳聞,,“說(shuō)明主要的全球級(jí)玩家仍然對(duì)無(wú)人駕駛技術(shù)興趣不減?!边@家汽車公司由韓國(guó)汽車制造商現(xiàn)代集團(tuán)與汽車零部件制造商Aptiv合資建立,。
由于他本人沒(méi)有參與,所以伊阿格內(nèi)瑪不愿意對(duì)這筆交易本身進(jìn)行評(píng)價(jià),。他說(shuō):“這些非常大的科技巨頭想?yún)⑴c進(jìn)來(lái),,這也并不奇怪?!辈⒈硎緛嗰R遜和蘋(píng)果等科技巨頭都對(duì)無(wú)人駕駛技術(shù)感興趣。
《財(cái)富》雜志聯(lián)系到的幾位分析師對(duì)亞馬遜收購(gòu)Zoox也并不感到意外,,因?yàn)閬嗰R遜已經(jīng)在人工智能項(xiàng)目上進(jìn)行了大量投資,。比如在2019年,亞馬遜等企業(yè)就向無(wú)人駕駛公司Aurora投資了5.3億美元,。
研究機(jī)構(gòu)PitchBook Data公司的首席移動(dòng)技術(shù)分析師阿薩德?侯賽因認(rèn)為,,目前,由新冠肺炎疫情導(dǎo)致的經(jīng)濟(jì)下行,,“已經(jīng)推動(dòng)該領(lǐng)域的整合達(dá)到了一新個(gè)新的水平,?!痹谝咔楸l(fā)前,無(wú)人駕駛汽車公司就已經(jīng)陷入了困境,,因?yàn)樗鼈兊凸懒搜邪l(fā)必要技術(shù)的成本,。
而像亞馬遜這樣財(cái)大氣粗的企業(yè),則在收購(gòu)這些陷入困境的無(wú)人駕駛技術(shù)公司上處于非常有利的地位,。
侯賽因說(shuō):“我認(rèn)為,,這筆交易確實(shí)反映了無(wú)人駕駛汽車領(lǐng)域的一波整合浪潮,而且這波浪潮已經(jīng)醞釀了很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間了,?!彼J(rèn)為,蘋(píng)果,、英特爾和英偉達(dá)等其他一些科技公司“也可能入局,,以相當(dāng)有吸引力的價(jià)位進(jìn)行收購(gòu)?!?
2019年,,蘋(píng)果收購(gòu)了無(wú)人駕駛汽車初創(chuàng)公司Drive.ai。有報(bào)道稱,,這筆交易讓蘋(píng)果蒙受了不少損失,。今年5月,英特爾也以9億美元收購(gòu)了初創(chuàng)公司Moovit,,這家公司開(kāi)發(fā)了一款公共交通APP,。有分析師認(rèn)為,這筆交易有助于英特爾開(kāi)發(fā)出更好的無(wú)人駕駛汽車零部件,。有報(bào)道表示,,在疫情爆發(fā)前,特別是在被英特爾收購(gòu)之前,,Moovi也正在謀求融資,。
Guidehouse Insights公司的分析師薩姆?阿布薩米德表示,亞馬遜收購(gòu)Zoox,,將有助于亞馬遜優(yōu)化或削減物流倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)成本,。在他的設(shè)想中,未來(lái)亞馬遜交發(fā)熱和有一支無(wú)人駕駛的快遞車隊(duì),,貨車在目標(biāo)地區(qū)停好后,,還會(huì)充當(dāng)一個(gè)“無(wú)人機(jī)母艦”,,放出無(wú)人機(jī)將包裹送到消費(fèi)者的家中,。
至于亞馬遜會(huì)不會(huì)利用這項(xiàng)技術(shù),像Uber和Lyft一樣,,打造一個(gè)無(wú)人駕駛版的網(wǎng)約車服務(wù),,阿布薩米德認(rèn)為,,至少在短期是不太可能的,。不過(guò)亞馬遜是一家出了名的擅于下長(zhǎng)期賭注的公司,所以未來(lái)或許將打造一款類似的產(chǎn)品也不一定,。
如果真是這樣,,這將給Uber和Lyft等網(wǎng)約車企業(yè)帶來(lái)巨大的壓力,迫使它們重新評(píng)估自己的無(wú)人駕駛項(xiàng)目,。侯賽因表示,,他一直認(rèn)為Uber“應(yīng)該剝離”它的無(wú)人駕駛項(xiàng)目。實(shí)際上,,Ube最近剛剛宣布對(duì)人工智能部門(mén)進(jìn)行裁員,。侯賽因稱,Uber應(yīng)該與其他公司合作,,共同開(kāi)發(fā)這項(xiàng)技術(shù),,甚至與其他企業(yè)成立合資的無(wú)人駕駛公司,以分擔(dān)成本,。
在談到Uber時(shí),,侯賽因說(shuō):“如果你看看他們的技術(shù)能力,你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn),,你們遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)落后于這個(gè)領(lǐng)域的領(lǐng)軍者,。我認(rèn)為他們并不具備很好的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:隋遠(yuǎn)洙
據(jù)報(bào)道,,亞馬遜正在謀求收購(gòu)無(wú)人駕駛汽車初創(chuàng)公司Zoox,以進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)張其迅猛發(fā)展的寄遞物流網(wǎng)絡(luò),。
據(jù)《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》本周二報(bào)道,,Zoox的最近一輪融資是在2018年,當(dāng)時(shí)該公司的估值是32億美元,。不過(guò)這一次,,亞馬遜的報(bào)價(jià)將低于這個(gè)估值。
亞馬遜和Zoox都拒絕對(duì)有關(guān)收購(gòu)的傳聞進(jìn)行評(píng)論,。
一家無(wú)人駕駛汽車公司的首席執(zhí)行官卡爾?伊阿格內(nèi)瑪認(rèn)為,,亞馬遜和Zoox之間的收購(gòu)傳聞,“說(shuō)明主要的全球級(jí)玩家仍然對(duì)無(wú)人駕駛技術(shù)興趣不減,?!边@家汽車公司由韓國(guó)汽車制造商現(xiàn)代集團(tuán)與汽車零部件制造商Aptiv合資建立。
由于他本人沒(méi)有參與,,所以伊阿格內(nèi)瑪不愿意對(duì)這筆交易本身進(jìn)行評(píng)價(jià)。他說(shuō):“這些非常大的科技巨頭想?yún)⑴c進(jìn)來(lái),,這也并不奇怪,?!辈⒈硎緛嗰R遜和蘋(píng)果等科技巨頭都對(duì)無(wú)人駕駛技術(shù)感興趣。
《財(cái)富》雜志聯(lián)系到的幾位分析師對(duì)亞馬遜收購(gòu)Zoox也并不感到意外,,因?yàn)閬嗰R遜已經(jīng)在人工智能項(xiàng)目上進(jìn)行了大量投資,。比如在2019年,亞馬遜等企業(yè)就向無(wú)人駕駛公司Aurora投資了5.3億美元,。
研究機(jī)構(gòu)PitchBook Data公司的首席移動(dòng)技術(shù)分析師阿薩德?侯賽因認(rèn)為,,目前,由新冠肺炎疫情導(dǎo)致的經(jīng)濟(jì)下行,,“已經(jīng)推動(dòng)該領(lǐng)域的整合達(dá)到了一新個(gè)新的水平,。”在疫情爆發(fā)前,,無(wú)人駕駛汽車公司就已經(jīng)陷入了困境,,因?yàn)樗鼈兊凸懒搜邪l(fā)必要技術(shù)的成本。
而像亞馬遜這樣財(cái)大氣粗的企業(yè),,則在收購(gòu)這些陷入困境的無(wú)人駕駛技術(shù)公司上處于非常有利的地位,。
侯賽因說(shuō):“我認(rèn)為,這筆交易確實(shí)反映了無(wú)人駕駛汽車領(lǐng)域的一波整合浪潮,,而且這波浪潮已經(jīng)醞釀了很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間了,。”他認(rèn)為,,蘋(píng)果,、英特爾和英偉達(dá)等其他一些科技公司“也可能入局,以相當(dāng)有吸引力的價(jià)位進(jìn)行收購(gòu),?!?
2019年,蘋(píng)果收購(gòu)了無(wú)人駕駛汽車初創(chuàng)公司Drive.ai,。有報(bào)道稱,,這筆交易讓蘋(píng)果蒙受了不少損失。今年5月,,英特爾也以9億美元收購(gòu)了初創(chuàng)公司Moovit,,這家公司開(kāi)發(fā)了一款公共交通APP。有分析師認(rèn)為,,這筆交易有助于英特爾開(kāi)發(fā)出更好的無(wú)人駕駛汽車零部件,。有報(bào)道表示,在疫情爆發(fā)前,,特別是在被英特爾收購(gòu)之前,,Moovi也正在謀求融資。
Guidehouse Insights公司的分析師薩姆?阿布薩米德表示,,亞馬遜收購(gòu)Zoox,,將有助于亞馬遜優(yōu)化或削減物流倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)成本,。在他的設(shè)想中,未來(lái)亞馬遜交發(fā)熱和有一支無(wú)人駕駛的快遞車隊(duì),,貨車在目標(biāo)地區(qū)停好后,,還會(huì)充當(dāng)一個(gè)“無(wú)人機(jī)母艦”,放出無(wú)人機(jī)將包裹送到消費(fèi)者的家中,。
至于亞馬遜會(huì)不會(huì)利用這項(xiàng)技術(shù),,像Uber和Lyft一樣,打造一個(gè)無(wú)人駕駛版的網(wǎng)約車服務(wù),,阿布薩米德認(rèn)為,,至少在短期是不太可能的。不過(guò)亞馬遜是一家出了名的擅于下長(zhǎng)期賭注的公司,,所以未來(lái)或許將打造一款類似的產(chǎn)品也不一定,。
如果真是這樣,這將給Uber和Lyft等網(wǎng)約車企業(yè)帶來(lái)巨大的壓力,,迫使它們重新評(píng)估自己的無(wú)人駕駛項(xiàng)目,。侯賽因表示,他一直認(rèn)為Uber“應(yīng)該剝離”它的無(wú)人駕駛項(xiàng)目,。實(shí)際上,,Ube最近剛剛宣布對(duì)人工智能部門(mén)進(jìn)行裁員。侯賽因稱,,Uber應(yīng)該與其他公司合作,,共同開(kāi)發(fā)這項(xiàng)技術(shù),甚至與其他企業(yè)成立合資的無(wú)人駕駛公司,,以分擔(dān)成本,。
在談到Uber時(shí),侯賽因說(shuō):“如果你看看他們的技術(shù)能力,,你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn),,你們遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)落后于這個(gè)領(lǐng)域的領(lǐng)軍者。我認(rèn)為他們并不具備很好的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì),?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:隋遠(yuǎn)洙
Amazon’s possible acquisition of self-driving car startup Zoox would help the online retailing giant expand its burgeoning logistics-and-delivery network.
The price tag for the once-high-flying Zoox, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, would be below the $3.2 billion valuation the company received in its most recent funding round in 2018.
Amazon and Zoox both declined to comment about any acquisition talks.
Karl Iagnemma, CEO of a self-driving car joint venture between automaker Hyundai and vehicle component company Aptiv, says the discussion between Amazon and Zoox “speaks to the sustained interest in self-driving technology by major global players, full stop.”
He declined to comment about the deal itself because he’s not involved. But he did say, “It’s not a surprise that very large technology conglomerates want to get in,” referring to tech giants like Amazon and Apple being interested in autonomous vehicles.
Several analysts contacted by Fortune weren't surprised by Amazon’s move on Zoox considering that Amazon has already made big investments in somewhat related artificial intelligence projects. For instance, in 2019, Amazon joined others in investing $530 million in self-driving tech company Aurora.
Asad Hussain, the lead mobility tech analyst for research firm PitchBook Data, believes the current economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic “has really catalyzed consolidation to a new level in this space.” Before the COVID-19 outbreak, self-driving car companies were already struggling because they had underestimated the cost of developing the necessary technology.
Those with deep pockets like Amazon are now well positioned to gobble up struggling companies.
“I think this deal really reflects a wave of consolidation in the autonomous-vehicle space that has been on the cards for a while now,” Hussain says. He suspects that other tech companies including Apple, Intel, and Nvidia may also be “coming in and scooping up acquisitions at pretty attractive discounts.”
In 2019, Apple bought the self-driving car startup Drive.ai amid reports that it was hurting financially. Meanwhile, in May, Intel bought the startup Moovit, which developed a public-transit app, for $900 million in a deal that some analysts speculated would help Intel develop better technology components for autonomous vehicles. Before the coronavirus pandemic and acquisition, Moovit was reportedly looking to raise money.
Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst with Guidehouse Insights, says Amazon’s potential purchase of Zoox could be used to improve or cut costs for deliveries and warehousing. He imagined a future in which Amazon operates driverless delivery vans that, after being parked, would serve as hubs for fleets of drones that deliver packages to individual homes.
As for Amazon building an autonomous ride-sharing service akin to what Uber or Lyft hope to create, Abuelsamid says he’s skeptical in the near term. But Amazon, which is known for long-term bets, could develop one in the future.
If so, that would put extra pressure on Lyft and Uber to reevaluate their self-driving car projects. Hussain says he’s long argued that Uber “should be divesting” itself from developing self-driving car technology. Instead, he believes Uber, which recently announced job cuts in its A.I. division, should partner with other companies on developing the technology, perhaps even creating autonomous-vehicle joint ventures that could carry the costs.
“When you look at where they are in terms of technical capabilities, they’re well behind the leaders in this space,” Hussain says about Uber. “I don’t think they have a good competitive position.”