(Yicai Global) Dec. 27 -- Baidu, which is doubling down on artificial intelligence, intends to create the world’s biggest fully driverless ride-hailing services area next year.

The Chinese tech giant will put 200 more robotaxis on China’s streets in 2023, the Beijing-based company said in a statement yesterday.

The firm will also expand its driverless ride-hailing service in Wuhan, capital of central Hubei province, to triple the area covered, swell the fleet size, and extend the operating period to include key evening hours, it said.

After the expansion, Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go will cover an area of 130 square kilometers in Wuhan, serving one million people.

Baidu has tested its level-four self-driving technology by completing more than 40 million km of journeys. It has nearly 3,480 autonomous driving patents, ranking first globally for four straight years.

As of Sept. 30, Apollo Go had logged more than 1.4 million orders, which made Baidu the world's biggest robotaxi service provider, the firm added.

Baidu [HKG: 9888] closed 0.5 percent lower at HKD112 (USD14.40) in Hong Kong today. Its New York-listed shares [NASDAQ: BIDU] were up 2 percent in pre-market trading as of 6.46 a.m. local time, following a 1 percent dip to USD111.61 yesterday.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi