NIO Licenses Self-Developed Autonomous Driving Chip Technology to Automotive Chipmaker
NIO has begun licensing its proprietary high-level autonomous driving chip technology to an automotive semiconductor company, marking the first external commercialization of its internally developed Shenji NX9031 chip.
Industry sources indicate that licensing deals vary significantly in value depending on the arrangement. Single intellectual property licenses typically command fees in the several million dollar range, while system-on-chip (SoC) technology transfers can reach contract values exceeding 100 million yuan (approximately US$14 million).
The Shenji NX9031 utilizes 5-nanometer automotive-grade manufacturing processes and delivers computing power roughly four times that of Nvidia's Orin-X chip. Development commenced in 2021 with a team exceeding 600 personnel covering front-end design, back-end design, verification, and testing—approaching the scale of an independent chip company.
NIO CEO William Li previously disclosed that the NX9031's development costs equaled the expense of building 1,000 battery swap stations. Based on estimates of 1.5 million to 3 million yuan per station, total research and development investment reached several billion yuan.
Zhang Danyu, NIO's chip division head, announced in May 2025 that the NX9031 completed three years of development and testing, with certain specifications surpassing industry-standard chips. The chip entered mass production several months ahead of Nvidia's latest Thor-U autonomous driving processor. Currently deployed in models including the ET9 and 2025 ES6 and EC6 variants, Li stated the chip enables cost optimization of approximately 10,000 yuan per vehicle.
The commercialization push reflects NIO's broader strategy to reduce expenses and generate new revenue streams amid cash flow pressures and fourth-quarter profitability commitments. In March 2025, Li publicly announced at the China EV100 Forum that NIO's chips and operating systems would be available to the industry.
In June, NIO established Anhui Shenji Technology Company to consolidate chip development, production, and licensing operations while maintaining controlling interest. The company has reportedly been seeking strategic investors for this entity.
On November 14, Anhui Shenji Technology formed a joint venture with AXera and OmniVision Group called Chongqing Chuangyuan Zhihang Technology, capitalized at 100 million yuan. AXera holds the largest stake at 36.4 percent.
Founded in 2019 by Qiu Xiaoxin, AXera initially focused on AI vision chips before entering the automotive chip market following its 2023 acquisition of a Dahua Technology subsidiary. The company completed Series C financing exceeding 1 billion yuan in April 2025 and currently manufactures M55 and M76 series chips for basic driver assistance systems.