Tesla to buy AI startup DeepScale

San Francisco: Electric carmaker Tesla is buying DeepScale, a California-based small artificial intelligence (AI) startup, to improve its autopilot driver assistance system.

The acquisition could help Tesla fill the talent gap in the autopilot group, CNBC reported on Tuesday.

DeepScale CEO Forrest Iandola confirmed on LinkedIn that he had joined Tesla as a senior staff machine learning scientist. “I joined the Tesla #Autopilot team this week. I am looking forward to working with some of the brightest minds in #deeplearning and #autonomousdriving,” Iandola said.

Iandola completed his doctorate at University of California, Berkeley, in deep neural networks and computer vision systems.

In February, Tesla acquired US-based energy storage company Maxwell Technologies in a $218 million all-stock deal with an aim to improve batteries and lower costs.