Horizon Robotics (地平线) Bets on a Fourth‑Gen BPU as Chinese EV Makers Push In‑House Chips

Race for the BPU

Horizon Robotics (地平线) has doubled down on a high‑stakes bet: a fourth‑generation BPU called “Riemann” (黎曼) that it hopes will take on Tesla’s next‑generation vehicle AI chip. Chen Peng (陈鹏), a 19‑year industry veteran who led Horizon’s Chengzheng 6P (征程 6P) from design to mass production, is reported to be steering the program. It has been reported that basic design work will be finished in April and that the company is aiming for a 2026–2027 mass‑production timeline. If those timelines hold, the chip could meaningfully change where compute is sourced in increasingly software‑defined cars.

An ecosystem under pressure

Why does this matter? Chinese EV makers are aggressively moving compute in‑house. NIO (蔚来), Xpeng (小鹏汽车) and Li Auto (理想汽车) — often grouped as “蔚小理” — have pushed self‑developed chips with performance claims as high as 3,000 TOPS, squeezing third‑party suppliers. It has been reported that some products like NIO’s so‑called “Shenji” (神玑) have already taped out and entered production and commercial sale, intensifying the pressure on suppliers such as Horizon, which now must both innovate and defend customer relationships.

Competition from all sides

The squeeze is not only domestic. Global players are crowding the space: NVIDIA (英伟达) provides dominant data‑center and automotive AI stacks, Huawei (华为) is rapidly advancing its own solutions, and Qualcomm (高通) is pursuing integrated cockpit‑and‑drive platforms. Momenta (Momenta) has reportedly teamed with a chip startup, 新芯航途, to win design‑win slots at major automakers like SAIC Volkswagen (上汽大众) and Beijing Hyundai (北京现代), further fragmenting demand. Add geopolitical pressure from export controls and US‑led sanctions that shape access to advanced IP and tools, and the competitive map becomes even more complex.

Can Horizon navigate a market where cooperative ecosystems fracture into supplier wars? The company’s technical pedigree and Chen Peng’s track record give it a fighting chance, but accelerating self‑sufficiency among OEMs and relentless competition from domestic and foreign heavyweights make this a pivotal moment for China’s auto‑chip ecosystem.