Chinese navigation app maker Amap said on Wednesday that it would roll out its AI-powered traffic light countdown feature to overseas markets, marking one of the first large-scale attempts to export the technology globally.
The feature, first launched by Amap in May 2022, uses artificial intelligence to simulate and predict traffic signal changes in real time, allowing users to see countdown timers for red lights while driving, cycling or walking through supported intersections.
Amap, owned by Alibaba Group, said the service has already been deployed across China, covering nearly 500,000 traffic-light intersections.
The company said the system can also estimate how many light cycles drivers may need to wait through at heavily congested intersections, aiming to improve both traffic efficiency and road safety.
Traffic-light countdown services have long been considered technically difficult in the global navigation industry because traffic signal standards vary widely across countries and many municipal systems do not provide open access to signal data.
