Autonomous vehicle startups continue to rake in the majority of auto tech funding, claiming over 70% of the roughly $5B invested in auto tech startups so far this year. Auto tech funding has raced upwards this decade. In 2018 YTD, financing has already outpaced 2017 peaks. Using CB Insights data, we analyzed the surge in auto tech private markets financing through 2018, including a breakdown of how much financing has gone specifically to the autonomous driving sector. From autonomy to telematics to ride sharing, the auto industry has never been at more risk.

The Samsung conglomerate said it will invest more than $22 billion over the next three years to target such areas as artificial intelligence and auto-technology components, as it seeks out growth drivers beyond phones and memory chips. The bulk of the spending will be earmarked for Samsung Electronics Co., the conglomerate's crown jewel. The company is the world's No. 1 maker of smartphones, semiconductors and televisions and last year put more toward capital expenditures than any other publicly traded company, Samsung said it would invest heavily in four key areas through 2020. Auto tech, artificial intelligence and new fifth-generation, or 5G, cellular technology--all of which that fall under Samsung's umbrella--will draw funding, as will its nascent drug companies specializing in contract manufacturing and biosimilar medications. It didn't provide a specific breakdown of the new investments, but the spending represents Samsung's broadest investment in new business pursuits since 2010. When combined with previously announced investments, the company will spend 180 trillion won, or about $161 billion, over the three-year period, a total that includes commitments for semiconductors and displays.

Samsung Electronics plans to spend $22 billion over the next three years on artificial intelligence, auto components and other future businesses as the company maps out its strategy under the restored leadership of Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong after he was freed from prison. Samsung said it will spend the sum, amounting to 25 trillion won, on hiring artificial intelligence researchers in about 1,000 artificial intelligence centers around the world, on ensuring it will be a global player in next-generation telecoms technology called 5G and on deepening its involvement in electronic components for future cars. "Samsung expects innovations powered by AI technology will drive the industry's transformation, while the next-generation 5G telecommunications technology will create new opportunities in autonomous driving, the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics," the company said in a statement. Some of the funding will go to Samsung's biopharmaceutical businesses. Samsung has been beefing up its contract drug-making operations to help counter a potential decline in its mainstay electronics businesses.

Want to receive a weekly deep dive into all things auto, transportation, & logistics tech? Click here to subscribe to our auto tech newsletter. Momentum in auto tech is at an all-time high, with investors funding private startups in the field at a record pace. Of course, much of the buzz has revolved around autonomous driving software, with startups like Zoox seeing $200M funding rounds, tech corporates looking to capitalize, and major automakers working feverishly to catch up. Validating the reliability of fully autonomous vehicles will be no small feat, with RAND estimating that tens or hundreds of billions of test miles might have to be driven to properly gauge their safety. While many players are meeting this challenge head-on, a number of other startups are also developing autonomous tech for more focused applications.

The CB Insights team has published more than 2,000 research briefs on this blog. We see our data and infographics shown at conferences, in the media, and even framed on office walls. After a client requested copies of all our recent market maps, we decided to take it a step further. Below you'll find a collection of all our CB Insights market maps and unbundling/disrupting graphics. Following each map you'll find a link to the original research brief.