Chinese automakers begin integrating DeepSeek into on-board computers

Several Chinese car brands have announced that they have integrated AI startup DeepSeek’s large language model into their vehicles, a move that is expected to improve intelligent driving features.

Image source: Solen Feyissa / unsplash.com

The integration of the DeepSeek R1 model into Lingyu intelligent on-board computers was announced on February 8 by Baojun, a part of SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile, a joint venture between General Motors and SAIC Motor. These on-board computers are installed on Baojun Xiangjing series vehicles; with software updates, it will also appear on Baojun Yunhai and Baojun Yueye Plus models.

On the same day, IM Motors, a joint venture between SAIC Motor, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and Alibaba Group, announced that the DeepSeek model would also appear in its on-board computers. The companies said that they would install large language models from Doubao and Tongyi in parallel, which would be trained together to create a multi-scenario AI matrix. Automotive giant Geely announced on February 6 that it would integrate its own model with the DeepSeek model.

AI will improve autonomous driving capabilities, experts say, helping to better understand user commands and recognize driver intentions. Until now, training large language models has been a costly process, slowing their deployment in vehicles, but DeepSeek will speed up the process.

Autonomous driving promises to be one of the leading areas of AI application, but no specific technical applications for DeepSeek integration have been proposed so far. The model’s open source code, low system requirements, and low maintenance costs make this possible.