Core Insights - The article discusses the evolving landscape of the automotive auxiliary driving chip industry, emphasizing the importance of long-term partnerships and platform capabilities over short-term gains [1][2][5]. Industry Overview - The auxiliary driving chip market has gained significant attention, with a shift from merely counting "hit models" to understanding the deeper needs of automotive manufacturers [1][2]. - Automotive manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing "controllable, reliable, and evolvable" chip platforms that offer better computing power, energy efficiency, system adaptability, and long-term service capabilities [2][5]. Company Developments - Black Sesame Intelligence (02533.HK) launched a new generation chip platform and announced mass production of the first domestic single-chip central computing platform based on the Wudang C1296 chip, set to be used in multiple new models from Dongfeng Motor by 2025 [3][4]. - The collaboration with Intel to create the "Intel & Black Sesame Intelligent Cabin-Driving Integration Platform" aims to integrate standard vehicle functions into a long-lifecycle platform, addressing cost control for economic models while supporting high-end models [4]. Financial Performance - Black Sesame Intelligence reported a revenue of 474 million yuan for 2024, a 51.8% increase from 312 million yuan in 2023, with a net profit of 313 million yuan, marking a turnaround from previous losses [7]. - The growth in revenue is attributed to the successful sales of auxiliary driving products and solutions, with significant contributions from partnerships with major automotive OEMs like BYD, Dongfeng, and Geely [7]. Market Trends - The auxiliary driving industry is transitioning from early adoption to widespread use, with L2-level auxiliary driving systems expected to see a 25.33% increase in deliveries in 2024, reaching 8.67 million units [8][9]. - The high-level automated navigation driving (NOA) segment is projected to grow significantly, with a 162.31% increase in deliveries, indicating a strong market demand for advanced driving assistance technologies [8][9]. Strategic Focus - The article highlights the importance of deep collaboration between chip manufacturers and automotive companies, emphasizing that the ability to co-evolve and adapt is crucial for long-term success in the industry [9][10]. - Black Sesame's commitment to high R&D investment, amounting to 340 million yuan in 2024, reflects its strategy to enhance product competitiveness and secure a favorable position in the smart automotive chip market [9].

Core Insights - The chip industry is witnessing two major trends: increased computing power and integration, as demonstrated by new products from Aisin YuanZhi and HezhiMa Intelligent [1] Group 1: Aisin YuanZhi's M57 Series - Aisin YuanZhi launched the M57 series of automotive chips, which boasts a computing power of 10 TOPS and supports mixed precision and BEV algorithms [1] - The M57 chip has a power consumption of no more than 3.5W even at a junction temperature of 125 degrees Celsius, making it suitable for both traditional and energy-efficient electric vehicles [1] - The self-developed image processing technology, Aisin ZhiMou AI-ISP, generates high-definition images under extreme lighting conditions, enhancing decision-making for in-vehicle systems [1] - The integrated MCU with a safety island achieves ASIL-B and ASIL-D level functional safety, ensuring that the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) do not cause accidents due to individual function failures [1] Group 2: HezhiMa's Huashan A2000 Family - HezhiMa's Huashan A2000 family of chips, built on a 7nm automotive-grade process, claims to have computing power up to four times that of current mainstream flagship chips [2] - The Huashan A2000 family includes three products: A2000 Lite for urban assisted driving, A2000 for general assisted driving, and A2000 Pro for high-level general assisted driving [2] - The Huashan A2000 chips feature a self-developed "JiuSha" NPU architecture that supports Transformer hardware acceleration and mixed precision operations (FP8/FP16), enhancing multi-task parallel processing efficiency [3] - The architecture includes a priority preemption mechanism to ensure sufficient computing resources for high-priority tasks, improving safety in complex driving scenarios [3] Group 3: Wudang Series and Safety Technologies - HezhiMa also introduced the Wudang series of chips, which is the industry's first cross-domain integrated computing chip, enhancing vehicle safety by ensuring independent operation of key systems [3] - The Wudang C1296 chip, also showcased, integrates smart cockpit, ADAS, and vehicle body control domains, allowing real-time data communication among them [4] - This solution is already being implemented in multiple new models from Dongfeng and is expected to achieve mass production by 2025 [4]