Recently, I came across an interesting development in autonomous driving. WeRide and ELEVATE Slovakia officially announced a strategic partnership, which means Slovakia is about to launch its first commercial autonomous driving project.

This project is quite significant because it is the first autonomous driving commercialization plan in Europe driven by the government. In other words, it's not just a company effort but supported at the national level, which is quite rare in Europe.

For WeRide, Slovakia is their fourth market expansion in Europe. They have already entered France, Belgium, and Switzerland. Now with Slovakia added, their European presence is becoming more complete. Globally, their operations now cover 12 countries and over 40 cities, and their expansion speed is indeed impressive.

Commercialization of autonomous driving in Europe has been quite cautious, with different regulatory frameworks. Slovakia becoming the first country in Europe to push this project indicates that the local government is very optimistic about this sector. More countries are likely to follow, and the deployment of autonomous driving in Europe could accelerate.