Beyond automakers, the self-developed chip achievements of industry technology companies are gradually being realized.

According to 36Kr, Momenta's in-house assisted driving chip has successfully powered up and is now entering the vehicle installation testing phase.

Historically, Momenta has been known primarily for its software algorithm prowess in the industry. It wasn't until 2023 that the company quietly embarked on a self-developed chip project.

At that time, the high cost of general-purpose chips and the specific demands of their end-to-end algorithm for real-time performance and energy efficiency necessitated a shift towards in-house development.

For this ambitious project, Momenta spared no expense and poached over a dozen key executives and engineers from OPPO's former Zeku division, swiftly bolstering its capabilities in chip architecture, IP integration, toolchains, and automotive compliance processes. Notably, Li Zonglin, former COO of Zeku, now leads Momenta's chip business.

This chip is designed to be highly adaptable and efficient, boasting performance comparable to market leaders like NVIDIA's Orin-X and Qualcomm's 8650. Even its hardware interfaces mimic those of Qualcomm's 8650, facilitating seamless integration into vehicles without significant PCB modifications, enabling rapid mass production and installation.

Furthermore, reports indicate that Momenta aims to leverage this chip to drastically reduce the cost of urban assisted driving solutions to approximately RMB 5,000.

It's worth noting that the current cost of a complete urban assisted driving solution exceeds RMB 10,000, with chips accounting for nearly 30% of this expense.

Should Momenta's self-developed chip successfully penetrate the mid-to-low-end model market, promoting the widespread adoption of cost-effective intelligent assisted driving, it stands to carve out a significant share in the smart driving chip market.

Currently, IM Motors is poised for mass production and delivery in the German market, with expansion plans into markets like the UK. Additionally, its self-driving taxi service in collaboration with Uber has commenced road tests in Munich. The integration of self-developed chips could further bolster these endeavors.

However, the current chip is still in the initial "ignition" stage, requiring a series of rigorous reliability tests in subsequent phases. It also needs to secure more vehicle model designations and expedite the deployment of assisted driving solutions.

Assuming all goes according to plan, the chip could achieve mass production by 2024-2025. By then, Momenta will boast both algorithm and chip development capabilities, transforming into a software and hardware integrated assisted driving supplier, poised to compete directly with the likes of Horizon Robotics.