Uber plans its own driverless car research center with Carnegie Mellon

Uber is working with Carnegie Mellon University to open a new tech center devoted to developing autonomous driving vehicles, among other things.

The new research-and-development facility, the Uber Advanced Technologies Center, will be near Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.

Earlier today, reports surfaced that the two organizations had partnered, and now Uber has confirmed it. In the announcement, the companies say the center will serve for “research and development, primarily in the areas of mapping and vehicle safety and autonomy technology.”

The partnership includes “funding from Uber for faculty chairs and graduate fellowships, recognizing and supporting Carnegie Mellon’s world-renowned faculty, and attracting the best and brightest graduate students,” Uber said.

“… We have the unique opportunity to invest in leading edge technologies to enable the safe and efficient movement of people and things at giant scale,” said Uber chief product officer Jeff Holden in a blog post. “This collaboration and the creation of the Uber Advanced Technologies Center represent an important investment in building for the long term of Uber.”