Samsung secures self-driving car permit in California

Samsung is on track for record profits and is widely expected to pass Intel Corp as the world's top chipmaker by sales in 2017 on the back of a memory market boom. — Reuters

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it has received a permit to test self-driving vehicles in California, marking the entry of the world's largest smart phone maker four months after iPhone maker and arch rival Apple Inc received a permit.

Its parent company in May secured permission from South Korean authorities to test a self-driving car fitted with its own sensors and software systems. At that time, South Korean officials said the company planned to use the car to develop a self-driving car algorithm that could drive in adverse weather.

In a statement to Reuters, Samsung did not say what precisely what it planned to test in the United States but said it secured the permit "in pursuit of a smarter, safer transportation future."

The company, part of a massive conglomerate that makes everything from washing machines to heavy machinery, said it has "no plans to enter the car-manufacturing business."

With the foray into the U.S. self-driving car landscape, Samsung will jostle with its friends and foes. Besides Apple, it will join Waymo, a division of Alphabet Inc , which supplies the Android operating system that runs on Samsung's phones.

Samsung has a range of other opportunities for growth in the self-driving car business. Earlier this year, the company closed its $8 billion purchase of car audio maker Harman International Industries, giving it a wide foot print in so-called connected car technologies. - Reuters