NIO and XPeng have reportedly concluded the design phase for their proprietary smart driving chips, signaling a significant step towards their imminent integration into production vehicles. This development, highlighted by local media citing CnEV Post, marks a pivotal progression in enhancing automotive technology.
At Nio Day 2023, held on December 23, NIO unveiled its maiden autonomous driving chip, the Shenji NX9031, fabricated using cutting-edge 5 nm technology. This sophisticated chip is slated to power NIO’s flagship executive sedan, the ET9, currently available for pre-order with deliveries set to commence in Q1 2025.
The Shenji NX9031 has successfully completed the tape-out process, a critical milestone marking its transition from design to manufacturing readiness. Meanwhile, XPeng’s in-house smart driving chip has also entered the tape-out phase and anticipates initial pilot production outputs by August.
Li Auto., under the codename "Schumacher," though starting later than NIO and XPeng, is progressing with its chip project and is expected to complete the tape-out process by the year-end.
NIO’s announcement underscored the Shenji NX9031’s robust specifications, boasting over 50 billion transistors and performance metrics on par with NVIDIA Corporation’s Drive Orin X chips, known for their advanced computational capabilities.
NIO’s current NT 2.0 platform models utilize four Orin X chips, delivering a combined computing power of 1,016 Tops, showcasing their commitment to advancing automotive intelligence.
