Intel is partnering with BMW because driving is too dangerous and cars need to get smarter (INTC)

Intel

Intel announced a big partnership deal with BMW and Mobileye on Friday that will help bring self-driving cars to the market by 2021.

The three companies will work together to build a new platform that will become the backbone to many self-driving cars in the future. Intel believes its chips will serve as the brain of those autonomous vehicles.

In a blog post Friday, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich further elaborated on why Intel is stepping into this space that's seen increased competition from everyone from carmakers, like GM and Tesla, to tech companies, like Alphabet and Apple, in recent years.

Krzanich's message: driving can be dangerous and cars need to get smarter with better technology.

"Today is an important step in bringing our vision to reinvent the driving experience. To make this vision a reality, cars — and everything they connect to — will need super-powerful, secure and reliable electronic brains that make them smart enough to act like human drivers," Krzanich wrote.

Krzanich cited how human error is the biggest reason for all auto accidents and that traffic jams are causing all kinds of frustrations. He believes by making cars smarter, using more data analysis and sensor technology, the driving experience could improve dramatically — and Intel has the technology to deliver that promise faster.

"We believe there is incredible opportunity to reinvent the driving experience," he wrote.

Krzanich also noted how this initiative will help Intel grow other parts of its business, like data centers and the internet of things. With PC sales declining in recent years, Intel has broadened its business from selling PC chips to processors for data centers and connected devices, commonly known as the internet of things. 

"As we continue our transformation to focus more deeply on the virtuous cycle that has emerged — the cloud and data center, the Internet of Things, accelerators like memory and FPGAs, all bound together by connectivity and enhanced by the economics of Moore’s Law — we are seeing more and more experiences that can be transformed by our technology," he wrote.

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