Project Termination? Apple might give up the decade-long electric vehicle development project

Ten years ago, Apple made a high-profile announcement about launching a research and development project for a car. Ten years later, however, news of the project's termination emerged. According to Bloomberg, Apple has internally circulated a memo announcing the cancellation of the electric car development project known as "Titan." The 2000-person development team will be disbanded, with members either transitioning to the artificial intelligence research department or encountering layoffs.

According to sources familiar with the matter, this "tough decision" was made jointly by Jeff Williams, the Chief Operating Officer of Apple Inc., and Kevin Lynch, the Vice President responsible for the "Titan" project. The memo states that the "Titan" project will be gradually winding down, with many of the employees from the automotive team being transitioned to the Artificial Intelligence department under the leadership of John Giannandrea. Employees will focus on AI projects, which are increasingly important for the company.

The "Titan" project, announced by Apple in 2014, aimed to invest billions of dollars in developing an electric car with autonomous driving capabilities, involving up to 5000 developers at its peak.

Afterward, Apple announced its intention to develop a fully automated electric car with a luxurious sedan interior and voice navigation capabilities. It has already secured three patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office, including vehicle laser radar detection and AR HUD, future safety airbag systems, and technology related to vehicle motion control. The news of Apple possibly terminating its car manufacturing project has left many sighs.

(Author:  Kevin Wong)