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Ledao L90 2026 Gets Flagship Shenji Chip

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#autonomous-driving#ai-chip#automotive

First 5nm flagship AD chip in $40k SUV—benchmark for affordable auto AI stacks

30-Second TL;DR

What Changed

2026 Ledao L90 equips full-spec Shenji NX9031, industry's first 5nm automotive high-tier AD chip.

Why It Matters

Elevates affordable EVs with top-tier AD compute, pressuring competitors to match AI hardware in mass-market segments. Signals NIO's push into AI-driven autonomy for family SUVs.

What To Do Next

Benchmark Shenji NX9031's 5nm ISP against Nvidia Orin for your ADAS perception pipeline.

Who should care:Developers & AI Engineers

Key Points

  • •2026 Ledao L90 equips full-spec Shenji NX9031, industry's first 5nm automotive high-tier AD chip.
  • •Chip ships over 200k units, optimized for NWM with 6.5B pixels/sec ISP.
  • •First 300k RMB large SUV with global flagship AI chip; lidar and vision variants.
  • •Post-lidar delivery: major update to vision version's end-to-end AD model for urban/highway NOA.

Deep Insight

AI-generated analysis for this event — not the original article.

Enhanced Key Takeaways

  • •The Shenji NX9031 chip utilizes a proprietary architecture developed by NIO's in-house semiconductor division, specifically designed to handle the high-bandwidth requirements of the NWM (NIO World Model) without relying on third-party silicon like NVIDIA Orin-X.
  • •The L90's aggressive pricing strategy under 300k RMB is enabled by NIO's 'BaaS' (Battery as a Service) model, which decouples battery ownership to lower the initial purchase price, a critical factor for the L90's market positioning against premium SUVs.
  • •The transition to an end-to-end AD model for the vision-only version marks a strategic shift for the Ledao brand, aiming to achieve 'Lidar-like' performance through advanced neural network training on the NX9031's dedicated NPU cores.

Competitor Analysis

AD Chip
Ledao L90 (2026)
Shenji NX9031 (5nm)
Li Auto L8
NVIDIA Orin-X
AITO M7 Ultra
Huawei MDC 610
Architecture
Ledao L90 (2026)
End-to-End NWM
Li Auto L8
Rule-based/Hybrid
AITO M7 Ultra
BEV + Transformer
Price Range
Ledao L90 (2026)
< 300k RMB
Li Auto L8
320k-400k RMB
AITO M7 Ultra
280k-330k RMB
Battery Model
Ledao L90 (2026)
BaaS Support
Li Auto L8
Standard Purchase
AITO M7 Ultra
Standard Purchase

Technical Deep Dive

  • Shenji NX9031 Architecture: Features a custom-designed NPU (Neural Processing Unit) optimized for transformer-based world models, supporting 6.5 billion pixels per second ISP throughput.
  • NWM (NIO World Model): An end-to-end autonomous driving stack that integrates perception, prediction, and planning into a single neural network, reducing latency compared to modular architectures.
  • Manufacturing Process: 5nm FinFET process node, providing a significant power-efficiency advantage over legacy 7nm automotive chips, allowing for higher sustained AI inference performance without thermal throttling.

Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

NIO will phase out NVIDIA Orin-X across its sub-brands by 2027.
The successful deployment of the in-house Shenji NX9031 in the high-volume Ledao brand demonstrates a viable path to vertical integration and cost reduction.
The vision-only L90 will achieve parity with Lidar-equipped models in urban NOA by Q4 2026.
The shift to end-to-end models allows the software to compensate for hardware sensor limitations through superior data processing and predictive capabilities.

Timeline

2024-05
NIO officially launches the Ledao (ONVO) brand.
2024-09
Ledao L60 begins customer deliveries, establishing the brand's market presence.
2025-12
NIO announces the mass production of the Shenji NX9031 automotive AI chip.
2026-03
Ledao L90 completes final winter testing and regulatory homologation.

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