Doubao large model powers SERES' own brand vehicles | Exclusive by 36Kr

After Volcengine, under the umbrella of ByteDance, reached a cooperation with SERES in the field of embodied intelligence, 36Kr learned that the two sides are also collaborating to promote the integration of Doubao, a large - language model, into SERES' in - vehicle systems.

This cooperation project is currently in the R & D stage.

The Doubao family of AI products from ByteDance is one of the largest AI - native applications in terms of user base in China. Therefore, in this cooperation, SERES is responsible for the R & D of the in - vehicle system architecture, while Volcengine focuses on the deployment of the large - language model in the vehicle.

“In terms of specific functions, the Doubao large - language model will enable comprehensive interactions including voice and vision,” a person familiar with the matter told 36Kr. As a result, ByteDance has not only defined the parameters of SERES' in - vehicle sensors but also the corresponding computing solutions.

According to 36Kr, SERES will connect an independent AI Box in the vehicle as a computing “add - on” to support the operation of the Doubao large - language model.

In the selection of the AI Box chip solution, SERES is evaluating NVIDIA's Orin Y. Orin Y is a mid - range computing power chip launched by NVIDIA for automotive intelligence, which can support advanced driver assistance systems. However, few enterprises in the in - vehicle system field are willing to invest such a large cost to adopt it.

However, a person in contact with SERES' R & D team revealed that SERES' plan has been under adjustment, and it is still unclear whether Orin Y will be finally used.

However, the AI Box is just one of the solutions SERES is evaluating. It is also considering deploying the large - language model in the cloud or integrating it into the cockpit domain controller. That is to say, SERES has not yet determined the specific deployment plan for the Doubao large - language model.

Many people in the automotive industry told 36Kr that the application of large - language models in in - vehicle systems has become a trend. Enterprises need to evaluate not only the Orin chips but also NVIDIA's latest high - computing power chip, Thor.

Public information shows that a single NVIDIA Orin Thor chip has a computing power of 700 TOPS, while a single NVIDIA Orin Y chip has a computing power of 200 TOPS.

According to 36Kr's industry research, not only SERES but also Geely and Changan have plans to adopt independent AI Boxes to support in - vehicle large - language models.

A person familiar with the matter revealed that one of the goals for SERES' own brand to invest significant resources in introducing the Doubao large - language model is to build its own independent intelligent technology platform capabilities. “Our goal is to benchmark against AITO in terms of the technical architecture.”

The cooperation project with ByteDance belongs to SERES' overseas business division. The new car is expected to be mass - produced in 2026 and will be sold overseas first. SERES responded that the above information is inaccurate.

SERES is not ByteDance's first partner in the intelligent cockpit field. Previously, ByteDance had also reached cooperation with several automotive brands such as Mercedes - Benz, Leapmotor, and FAW Bestune.

ByteDance's cooperation with Mercedes - Benz focuses on in - vehicle system - level interactions. Its cooperation with Leapmotor is specifically reflected in the integration of Volcengine's Cheyu Audio - Visual APP into Leapmotor's in - vehicle system.

In comparison, ByteDance's cooperation with SERES is more comprehensive and in - depth.

Not long ago, SERES officially announced that its subsidiary, Chongqing Phoenix, will jointly develop embodied intelligence with Volcengine. In the automotive field, ByteDance has not only deployed the in - vehicle large - language model in SERES' next - generation platform models but also defined the parameters of SERES' in - vehicle sensors and the corresponding computing solutions.

The integration of large - language models into vehicles is a trend that emerged in the automotive industry after Chat - GPT went mainstream.

Automobile enterprises started to layout the integration of large - language models for driver assistance systems earlier. For example, Li Auto has deployed a 4 - billion - parameter VLA large - language model in its vehicles, and the model's parameters will reach 7 billion next year. XPeng will also deploy a 7 - billion - parameter world base model in its vehicles next year.

In the field of intelligent cockpits, the integration of in - vehicle large - language models is recognized as the next - generation cockpit technology form in the industry.

The main factor hindering the integration of in - vehicle large - language models is the insufficient computing power of cockpit chips. Therefore, the industry has proposed a roundabout method to integrate in - vehicle large - language models: connecting an AI Box in the vehicle as an “add - on” for the large - language model to support its operation and then selecting a chip solution with sufficient computing power for this AI Box.

It is very likely that SERES will introduce ByteDance's Doubao large - language model into its next - generation platform through the AI Box connection solution.

After the Doubao large - language model is integrated into SERES' own - brand vehicles, Huawei, another in - depth partner of SERES, will become an indirect competitor of ByteDance.

In August this year, Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei's Intelligent Automotive Solution BU, publicly introduced the plan for the Hongmeng cockpit, aiming to transform HarmonySpace 5 from a simple question - answer interaction mode to a natural all - around partner, from passive response to active service. “For example, when the cockpit detects that the owner has fallen asleep in the back row, the car will automatically lower the curtain, darken the windows, and turn down the volume.”

Jin Yuzhi believes that this is a key step for the Hongmeng cockpit towards AI.

With the support of the Doubao large - language model, the cockpit capabilities of SERES' next - generation models will leap from voice interaction to full - vehicle interaction. It not only supports functions such as in - vehicle route planning but also can recognize the in - vehicle status to avoid potential safety hazards for the owner.

It is understood that one of the main purposes for SERES to introduce the Doubao large - language model is to build its own independent intelligent technology platform capabilities.

In 2019, SERES reached in - depth cooperation with Huawei, and the two sides jointly launched the AITO brand. Over the years, the AITO brand has launched four models: M5, M7, M8, and M9. As of September this year, the cumulative delivery volume of the AITO series has exceeded 800,000 vehicles. Among them, the M8 and M9 are the sales champions in the 400,000 - yuan and 500,000 - yuan markets respectively.

The rapid rise of AITO has transformed SERES from being on the verge of bankruptcy to becoming the fourth new - energy vehicle enterprise in the world to achieve profitability in 2024. In 2024, SERES' net profit was 5.946 billion yuan; in the first half of this year, its net profit increased by 81.03% year - on - year to 2.941 billion yuan.

However, at the same time, SERES' deep - seated partnership with Huawei also brings some uncertainties to SERES' future operations. SERES itself has also realized this and mentioned in the risk warning of its H - share prospectus that if there is a significant change in the cooperation relationship with Huawei, it may have a substantial impact on its operating performance.

Therefore, after SERES has achieved self - sufficiency in cash flow, developing its own brand is an important task for the enterprise in the future. As the competition in the domestic market is too fierce, SERES has shifted the main battlefield of its own brand to overseas markets.

The cooperation with ByteDance is SERES' technological reserve for going global. In addition, SERES also plans to allocate 20% of the funds raised from its future Hong Kong stock listing to diversified new marketing channels, overseas sales, and charging network services to enhance its global brand awareness.

In the future, SERES may gradually show its diversity. In China, SERES may still be a loyal partner of Huawei, while overseas, it will be an ambitious independent player.