Sources familiar with the matter revealed that SenseAuto expects to lay off more than 200 employees, bringing the company’s total workforce to over 400. The layoffs will affect departments including algorithm engineering and software.
This restructuring by SenseTime’s SenseAuto division is a microcosm of the increasingly competitive landscape of intelligent driving. Following the layoffs, the workload for remaining employees will increase significantly, posing a considerable challenge to ensuring mass production and delivery of projects to automotive clients.
Over the past two to three years, SenseTime’s SenseAuto has aligned its intelligent driving solutions and technologies with industry changes.
In terms of solutions, SenseTime SenseAuto has launched three solutions: AD Pro, based on the Horizon J6E with 80T computing power; AD Max, based on the Horizon J6M with 128T computing power; and AD Ultra, based on Orin/Thor with 200T+ computing power. These three solutions represent the most mainstream demands from automotive companies over the past two years and represent the largest volume of demand in the industry.
Technically, SenseTime’s SenseAuto platform released a world model back in November 2024, placing it among the earlier companies in the intelligent driving industry to release cutting-edge technology.
Whether in terms of intelligent driving solutions or technology, SenseTime’s SenseAuto demonstrates strong foresight and strategic planning. However, compared to leading companies, it has secured relatively few targeted projects, the reasons for which are complex.
It is understood that SenseTime’s SenseAuto is in talks with Dongfeng Motor for strategic investment, which presents a good opportunity for the company. Strategic investment from automakers not only means money but also targeted projects and deep collaboration.
Informed sources revealed that this investment may be cancelled or significantly reduced.
However, at a crucial juncture in the 2025 intelligent driving competition, SenseTime’s SenseAuto Chairman Wang Xiaogang co-founded Daxiao Robotics with Academician Tao Dacheng of the Australian Academy of Science in the second half of 2025.
Both highly competitive sectors require core operators to go all in. For Wang Xiaogang, as the core operator, managing both the highly competitive intelligent driving sector and embodied robotics effectively is a significant challenge.