ZF Group has announced a partnership with Horizon Robotics to develop an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) for the Chinese market, capable of supporting up to SAE Level 3 autonomy. The system — incorporating China’s “Navigate on Autopilot” (NOA) for urban conditions — will enter mass production in 2026 for a Chinese electric vehicle platform.
At the heart of the collaboration is ZF’s ProAI compute platform, integrating Horizon Robotics’ Journey 6P processor. The system delivers over 1,000 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of processing performance, enabling real-time support for transformer-based neural networks and advanced AI architectures such as Vision Language Models (VLM) and Vision Language Action (VLA).
The resulting platform is designed to manage full-scenario assisted driving — including high-speed, urban, and parking functions — within a single, centralised compute system. ZF said the collaboration marks a major advance in its localisation efforts, combining its global ADAS expertise with Horizon Robotics’ domestic AI capability to accelerate deployment of intelligent driving across China’s fast-growing EV sector.
Dr. Christian Brenneke, head of ZF’s Electronics & ADAS division, described China as “an innovation homeroom and gym for the global automotive industry.” He added: “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.”
Horizon Robotics founder and CEO Dr. Yu Kai said the partnership would “accelerate breakthroughs in next-generation intelligent driving” and “promote the adoption of intelligent driving functions across a wider range of vehicles and markets.”
ZF’s ProAI is built as a modular, scalable automotive-grade computer, adaptable across multiple vehicle types and architectures. This flexibility allows OEMs to tailor processing power, redundancy, and AI functionality without redesigning the hardware core — a critical factor for cost and integration efficiency in large-scale EV production.
China’s ADAS market is moving rapidly toward higher levels of automation, fuelled by both regulatory approval for limited Level 3 functionality and competition among domestic OEMs to integrate urban NOA systems. With more than 30 million vehicles sold annually and a government-backed AI ecosystem, the country has become a proving ground for intelligent mobility technologies.
ZF’s collaboration with Horizon Robotics underscores a broader trend among European Tier 1 suppliers — shifting from exporting technology into China to co-developing it locally. The strategy aligns with Beijing’s industrial policy push for homegrown innovation in autonomous and electric mobility, while giving global suppliers continued access to one of the world’s most dynamic automotive markets.
The first production models using the ZF–Horizon system are expected to reach Chinese roads in 2026, with potential for wider deployment across Asia thereafter.
