Chinese ridesharing platform Didi Chuxing has issued a real statement of intent to rivals following the organization's decision to open a research hub in US tech capital Silicon Valley. The Didi Labs center will be located in Mountain View, which is also the home of Google. A statement released by the Chinese company confirmed that it will research facility will focus on 'intelligent driving technologies'.

Global ride-hailing service Uber has taken its very first steps to expand its self-driving research into foreign markets with the announcement that it plans to open a research facility in Toronto, Canada. This latest expansion is for Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, which is responsible for the majority of the firm's research on autonomous vehicles. Uber also disclosed that University of Toronto professor Raquel Urtasun has been tasked with the responsibility of leading the new research center.

Cambridge University has announced it has agreed to partner with Nanjing Municipal Government to create a smart cities research center which will be located in China. The collaboration will see both bodies examining how emerging technologies can support a modern 21st century city that has an integrated ecosystem that consists of IT, healthcare and building management.