Huawei Earmarks 18 Billion Yuan for Autonomous Driving R&D in 2026
Chinese tech giant aims to expand customer base for Qiankun ADS autopilot system, surpassing 10 billion km of autonomous driving
Quick Look
- Huawei announced it will invest 18 billion yuan in autonomous driving R&D in 2026, claiming it will exceed the combined investment of all other major autonomous driving solution providers.
- The Shenzhen-based tech giant's Qiankun ADS platform has surpassed 10 billion kilometres of autonomous driving and is installed in over 50 vehicle models, with 1.7 million vehicles delivered to Chinese customers.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Huawei has been rapidly expanding its presence in the automotive sector through partnerships with car manufacturers. The Qiankun ADS platform represents the company's flagship autonomous driving solution, competing with other Chinese tech giants and traditional automotive suppliers in the growing EV and autonomous driving market.
The massive capital expenditure would enhance the reliability of cars fitted with the Huawei Qiankun ADS autopilot system, as the Shenzhen-based tech giant looked to expand its customer base, said Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei's intelligent automotive solutions business unit. In 2026 alone, Huawei would earmark 18 billion yuan for research and development in autonomous driving, he added. "Autonomous driving is an industry requiring long-term investment," Jin said at an event in Beijing on Thursday. "Based on our investment of 18 billion yuan in smart driving this year, we will spend more than the combined expense of all other major [autonomous driving] solution providers." Computing power plays a key role in improving self-driving capabilities by processing data collected during training and testing of advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs). Huawei's Qiankun ADS platform surpassed 10 billion kilometres of autonomous driving early this month. Autopilot features powered by the platform are widely used in mainland China. Huawei has partnerships with 25 car brands, and Qiankun has been installed in more than 50 models. A total of 1.7 million vehicles fitted with the system have been delivered to Chinese customers.
Open Questions
- How will this investment compare to actual spending by competitors?
- What specific technological breakthroughs is Huawei targeting?
- When will the company achieve profitability in this segment?
