Case Study: Baidu achieves Level‑4 Automated Valet Parking with Flex's Apollo Computing Unit (ACU)

Enabling automated valet parking through autonomous driving compute

Baidu, a leading AI and internet services provider in China, needed a partner to help turn its Apollo autonomous driving compute platform into a production-ready system capable of handling Level‑4 features like Automated Valet Parking (AVP). The challenge was integrating high‑speed parallel compute, rugged automotive design, and cohesive sensor fusion (cameras, RADAR, LiDAR/ultrasonics) into a single in‑vehicle, inside‑out solution — so Baidu engaged Flex to co‑design and manufacture the Apollo Computing Unit (ACU).

Flex applied cross‑industry enterprise compute expertise and automotive engineering under a “China for China” ADM model to design, validate and manufacture the ACU at its Wuzhong, China site, meeting ISO 26262 and IATF 16949 standards. The joint effort produced a mass‑producible ACU that enables AVP (driver drop‑off and summon) by processing inputs from multiple cameras and sensors; the first‑generation ACU moved from concept to mass production in 18 months (despite COVID shutdowns) and entered full production in 2021, becoming one of the world’s first mass‑produced Level‑4 passenger vehicle applications across multiple models.

Baidu