Cerence Inc. is an American multinational software company that develops

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

(AI) assistant technology primarily for automobiles.

History

Cerence was founded in October 2019, after

Nuance Communications Nuance Communications, Inc. is an American multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, that markets speech recognition and artificial intelligence software. Nuance merged with its comp ...

decided to turn its automotive division into an independent company. Nuance had provided voice recognition technology to car manufacturers for twenty years prior to the spin-off, and its technology was built into half of the new cars shipped globally in the first six months of 2019. Cerence's first official trading day on the

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

exchange was October 2, 2019. The company assumed control of previously Nuance-held contracts with approximately 60 automakers including

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

, Ford, and

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

. Since becoming its own entity, Cerence signed new deals to install voice recognition and assistance technology in Fiat Chrysler and

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

vehicles. In January 2020, LG announced that it would start integrating Cerence's voice assistant into its in-car infotainment systems. On 30 September 2021,

VinFast VinFast Auto Ltd. is a Vietnamese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive company founded by Vingroup, one of the largest private conglomerates in Vietnam that was founded by Pham Nhat Vuong. Established in 20 ...

reported that Cerence software will be used for its electric vehicles as an intelligence voice assistant. As of August 2021, Cerence's AI assistant technology had been installed on over 400 million cars worldwide. Cerence received an Automotive News

PACE Award The PACE Award is an annual award from ''Automotive News''. The focus of the award is an innovation (i) developed primarily by a supplier, (ii) that is new to the automotive industry, (iii) that is in use (e.g., used on a vehicle in production), ...

in September 2021 for Cerence Pay, a technology that allows drivers to pay for fuel via voice commands.

Products

Cerence develops automotive AI products, primarily focusing on voice assistant technology. Its voice assistant technology is not device-specific, and is white-labeled for auto manufacturers. The company's products integrate into a car's operating system and allow drivers to use speech for a variety of actions, for example to control their GPS, entertainment system, and climate settings rather than using manual controls. Cerence's technology also incorporates facial recognition and customized responses to individual drivers. As of 2021, Cerence's speech recognition software recognizes 70 different languages and dialects. The technology can work with other voice assistant and AI devices such as those developed by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

and

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

. Drivers using the voice technology in their car can make a request and the Cerence software would help route it appropriately to the right system or virtual assistant that can best respond, essentially acting as a "switchboard" to access information from other AI and voice assistants. The company is also developing technology that provides drivers with the ability to control some in-car systems with brief glances or gestures.

References

External links

* {{Finance links , name = Cerence Inc. , symbol = CRNC , sec_cik = 1768267 , yahoo = CRNC , google = CRNC American companies established in 2019 Automotive technologies Artificial intelligence companies Companies based in Burlington, Massachusetts Companies listed on the Nasdaq Corporate spin-offs