Xpeng starts robotaxi production with in-house AI chips

Guangzhou-based EV maker Xpeng said it has started mass production of robotaxis that use its in-house Turing AI chips.

The company plans pilot operations in the second half of 2026 as it expands its self-driving push.

Xpeng said the vehicles will have Level 4 autonomy, which under SAE International standards means they can operate without human intervention in designated areas.

Xpeng said each robotaxi uses four of its chips and that it plans to remove on-site safety officers by early 2027, putting it into closer competition with Tesla in autonomous driving.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

XPeng turned to its own chip after delays and rising costs

Turing became XPeng’s answer after its first hardware plan fell through 1.
The company first aimed to use Nvidia’s next-generation Thor processor. It dropped that route after development delays and weaker-than-expected results 1.
The switch carried a steep price. XPeng paid more than US$100 million to end an early chip partnership with Marvell, a US semiconductor company, before moving Turing into production 1.
Building the processor in-house let XPeng tune the hardware for its vision-based system. It added dual image signal processors (ISPs), which help cameras process visual data, to improve perception in rain and glare 1.

XPeng’s robotaxi plan fits China’s effort to rely less on Nvidia

XPeng joins Nio and Li Auto in developing proprietary processors to cut dependence on US-based Nvidia 1.
That approach gives XPeng tighter control over more of the product. Its AI software and hardware stack were built around Turing, which helps speed deployment and updates 1.
The robotaxi platform also carries XPeng’s physical AI work. It uses the same Vision-Language-Action (VLA) 2.0 large-model foundation as IRON, its humanoid robot, and the company’s flying-car project 2.
This in-house silicon push, meaning semiconductors, also helps guard against geopolitical risk as Chinese carmakers try to limit exposure to possible U.S. export controls on advanced chips 3.