By Joseph White
DETROIT (Reuters) - Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) said four Chinese electric vehicle brands will use its technology as the brains for automated driving systems, underscoring the U.S. chip maker's determination to expand in China despite Washington's tighter export rules.
Chinese automakers Li Auto (NASDAQ:LI), Great Wall Motor, Zeekr and the new EV unit of Chinese telecommunications company Xiaomi (OTC:XIACF) will use Nvidia's DRIVE technology to power automated driving, Nvidia said on Monday at the CES technology conference in Las Vegas.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
China's rising EV brands are a key market for Nvidia's automotive technology business. Chinese automakers are racing each other to launch more advanced in-vehicle infotainment displays and automated driving functions. That's created a growth opportunity for Nvidia, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) and other semiconductor manufacturers.
Nvidia and its U.S.-based rivals face challenges meeting demands from Chinese customers for powerful chips, while remaining in compliance with tighter U.S. controls on exports of advanced semiconductors to China.
POWERING ONLINE CAR SHOPPING
In related CES announcements, Nvidia said it is working with advertising giant WPP (LON:WPP), Lotus and six other companies to develop more advanced online shopping tools. Using Nvidia technology, automakers and dealers hope to create online shopping sites with three dimensional graphics and more lifelike graphics, said Danny Shapiro, Nvidia's vice president for automotive.