Collaboration between ZF and Horizon Robotics: Level 3 driver assistance systems for China

ZF has teamed up with Horizon Robotics on Level 3 automated driving to ensure sufficient computing power in all driving situations. The system is set to debut in a Chinese production model as early as 2026.

ZF is collaborating with the Chinese technology company Horizon Robotics to offer solutions for Level 3 autonomous driving. The German supplier’s ProAI computing platform, delivering 1,000 TOPS of processing power, is being combined with the Journey-6P processors from its Chinese partner. This combination is designed to ensure sufficient computing capacity for driver assistance systems in all scenarios.

The system developed by ZF and Horizon Robotics is expected to become a core component of a new vehicle architecture from a Chinese car manufacturer in 2026, marking its entry into several production models. The two companies have not yet disclosed which manufacturer this will be. The technology meets international Level 3 standards as well as China’s urban “Navigate on Autopilot” requirements.

The platform is designed to provide high efficiency when supporting neural “Transformer” network architectures and enables the processing of complex large-scale models. These include Vision-Language Models (VLM), Vision-Language-Action Models (VLA) and end-to-end models. The driver assistance functions of the system are intended to operate reliably at high speeds and in urban traffic. An automatic parking function and an integrated end-to-end assistant covering the entire driving process from departure to destination are also included.

As a central computing unit for automotive applications, the ZF ProAI is designed for a wide range of use cases. Thanks to its scalable and modular design, it can be flexibly adapted and configured to meet the requirements of different vehicle classes, types and architectures.

“China is an innovation ‘homeroom’ and ‘gym’ for the global automotive industry and is also ZF’s most important strategic automotive market,” said Dr. Christian Brenneke, head of the Electronics & ADAS division at ZF Group. “Close cooperation with Horizon Robotics and Chinese brand automakers allows us to more accurately grasp market trends, integrate globally leading technologies with local application scenarios, and provide customers with high-value products that combine technological advancement and market adaptability.”

zf.com

This article was first published by Elias Holdenried for electrive’s German edition.