DeepRoute.ai closes $100M Series C1 led by Great Wall Motor

By Mike Oitzman | November 9, 2024

DeepRoute.ai announced a strategic Series C1 funding round raising $100 million, led by Chinese automotive manufacturer Great Wall Motor. The company said it plans to use the funding will enhance research and development in its DeepRoute IO “end-to-end” model.

It also plans to scale collaborations with global automakers, explore future robotaxi business, and support the recruitment of more AI-native talent.

“The strategic investment from the automaker is a significant recognition of our technology maturity and mass-production capabilities” stated Maxwell Zhou, CEO of DeepRoute.ai. “We are eager to leverage this momentum to expand our reach in global markets.”

“I firmly believe autonomous driving is the most promising pathway to achieving physical AI, and we will be a major player in the next AI era,” he added. “We look forward to cooperating with more partners on this journey.”

DeepRoute.ai applies tech to more vehicles

DeepRoute.ai has raised about $450 million to date, according to data reported this week by Crunchbase. It closed its Series B round of $300 million in September 2021.

The Shenzhen, China-based company claimed that it has made significant strides, with approximately 20,000 vehicles delivered since August. That momentum continues, as DeepRoute.ai plans to release over 10 new vehicle models in partnership with select OEM clients next year.

Furthermore, the next-generation DeepRoute, powered by a cutting-edge visual language action model, is set to debut next year.

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Complete OEM self-driving stack

Unlike traditional robotaxis, which rely on pre-mapped data and are restricted to specific areas, DeepRoute.ai asserted that its autonomous vehicles will be more scalable and more cost-effective to deploy thanks to its end-to-end technology. This will allow people in various countries to enjoy the convenience of the latest smart driving technology, the company said.

The DeepRoute-Driver portfolio includes software, hardware, and a cloud monitoring system. DeepRoute.ai’s sensor-fusion technology can accurately detect various objects over 200 meters away. The company claimed it can safe driving, even in inclement weather, at night, or in other scenarios. 

• DeepRoute-Tite is the computing layer and “brain” of the system.
• DeepRoute-Syntric fuses data from all of the various sensors around the vehicle, providing input for the compute layer. DeepRoute.ai can integrate new sensors depending on the needs of the vehicle OEM.
• DeepRoute-Vision is the vision camera for the system, and the company has developed this camera for the specific needs of vehicle guidance.
• Cloud monitoring system, using 5G connectivity, enables remote operators to monitor vehicle operations and with human-in-the-loop interactions, rescue the vehicle when required.

The DeepRoute-Driver system is now available for $1,000 to $2,000 per vehicle, based on OEM quantities. The company has mentioned OEM clients that include Lincoln, Geely, Ford, and Dongfeng.