Volkswagen and Horizon Robotics develop high‑end chip for smart driving
Published on Nov 07, 2025 at 3:09 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Nov 06, 2025 at 8:27 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
Volkswagen and China’s Horizon Robotics have joined forces to develop a chip that will be used for smart driving, including automated driving.
The German automaker and the robotics firm have entered into a joint venture called CARIZON.
This week, they announced that they were developing Volkswagen’s very first in-house System-on-Chip.
Volkswagen has said the new technology will help to ‘make every journey smarter, safer and more seamless’.
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The new chips will ‘define the future of intelligent driving’
Technology is becoming more and more prevalent in the automotive industry, from augmented reality on your BMW’s dashboard to self-driving vehicles from the likes of Waymo.
Now, Volkswagen is upping its game when it comes to tech, announcing that it is working alongside Horizon Robotics to create chips that will be used to power advanced driver assistance systems and future automated driving.
In a press release, the carmaker explained that the new chips will help enable the cars to ‘think’ and process data from cameras and sensors to make ‘driving safer, smoother, and more intelligent’.
Each chip has the computing power of around 500 to 700 tera operations every second, which will enable ‘more human-centric advanced driver assistance and autonomous driving features’.
“For the first time, CARIZON is developing not only the software for automated driving, but also a high-performance and efficient AI chip,” CARIAD SE CEO Peter Bosch said.
“This is a major step.”
The chips are expected to be ready within the next three to five years.
In a statement CEO of Volkswagen Group China, Ralf Brandstätter, said the new chip will ‘be developed with our Chinese customers at heart’.
For now, it’s unclear if the technology will be introduced into vehicles sold outside of China.
Volkswagen isn’t the only one working on smart driving tech
However, even if the chips don’t make it to the US, Volkswagen isn’t the only carmaker working on advanced technology for its vehicles.
Earlier this year, BMW revealed its ‘superbrain’ Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that was developed for its Neue Klasse vehicles.
The clever new driving aid can perform a bunch of helpful tasks, including automatic lane changes, hands-free highway journeys, and even comes with a smart AI system that helps find parking spots.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
