Samsung is the latest company to join the self-driving car race.  The firm received an approval from the US government to test autonomous vehicles on state roads in California, according to the listings on the Department of Motor Vehicle’s (DMV) website.  Companies like Apple, Bosch, Delphi, NVIDIA, Waymo, as well as automakers like BMW, General Motors, and Volkswagen were also amongst the ones who were granted testing permits for Autonomous Vehicle from the California DMV. 

Samsung has already been granted approval to test self-driving technology vehicles in its home country of South Korea.  Surprisingly, the South Korean firm used Hyundai vehicles for its testing, even though Samsung owns about 20 percent of Renault Samsung Motors. 

Regardless, the company has already revealed modified Hyundai cars, equipped with test hardware built by Samsung which includes sensors and AI-powered computer modules. 

Back in 2015, Samsung announced that the company’s new division would focus on self-driving software technology, rather than manufacturing the entire vehicle.  Similar reports have emerged about Apple shifting its focus from autonomous cars to autonomous systems. 

Samsung’s latest move of testing autonomous systems seem like an effort to keep up with its tech rivals in the automotive space.  For now, the firm maintains a San Jose office, from where it could carry out California-based tests.