By In a recent development reported on August 24, former Vice President of autonomous driving at the prominent Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng (9868.HK), Wu Xinhou, has announced his transition to a new role at the renowned U.S. artificial intelligence giant Nvidia (NVDA.O). Although Wu has refrained from disclosing the specifics of his position at Nvidia, sources from the Chinese media outlet Jiemian News have indicated that he is poised to become the head of automotive products at Nvidia. The exact source for this news, however, has not been provided by Jiemian News.
Despite not offering immediate clarification to Reuters’ request for additional information, Wu, who recently resigned from his position at Xpeng, has confirmed on his Weibo account that he is now a part of Nvidia. He substantiated this declaration by sharing a photograph featuring himself, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Xpeng’s Chairman He Xiaopeng. During his tenure at Xpeng, Wu led the company’s ambitious endeavors in the realm of autonomous driving since 2018, commanding a team of over 1,000 engineers distributed between China and the United States.
Worth noting is the significant interest Chinese automakers like Xpeng have displayed in procuring Nvidia’s cutting-edge chips to power the intelligent systems integrated into their vehicles. This trend has been further underscored by Nvidia’s recent announcement that it has surpassed revenue forecasts for the quarter and is witnessing a surge in demand from the burgeoning market in China.
Xpeng, a prominent player among China’s top 20 best-selling EV manufacturers, is vigorously enhancing its advanced driver assistance software. The company has outlined its ambitious plan to offer all of its advanced functionalities to drivers across China by 2024, positioning itself to gain a competitive edge over its U.S. rival, Tesla (TSLA.O).
In light of Wu’s departure from Xpeng, Chairman He, in a candid social media post, expressed his anticipation of continuing to foster a deepened collaboration with Wu across various domains, including chip technology. The convergence of Wu’s expertise and Nvidia’s technological prowess in AI and automotive innovation promises to catalyze new advancements in the autonomous driving landscape and reshape the future of the automotive industry.
