China’s Li Auto Seeks Chip Talent in Singapore for EV Expansion
Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto has set up an in-house automotive chip development team and is hiring talent from abroad, including Singapore. The company aims to develop silicon carbide (SiC) power modules and other SiC-based semiconductor components for use in its electric vehicles. Li Auto’s recruitment efforts also include hiring a general manager to establish its R&D center in Singapore. This move highlights the increasing importance of power semiconductor chips in the EV industry.
Table of Contents: China’s Li Auto Seeks Chip Talent in Singapore for EV Expansion
- Chinese Auto Maker Ador Young Families Step into Building In-house Automotive Chips
- Li Auto Hires Talent from Singapore to Develop Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Modules
- In-house Automotive Chip Development: Li Auto Expands Hiring, Including General Manager Position
- Li Auto Recruits Singapore Team for Automotive Chip Work, Led by Chief Technology Officer Yan Xie
- Li Auto, NIO, and Xpeng: The Triumvirate of China’s EV Upstarts Defying Manufacturing Limits
- Li Auto’s Sales Figures Surpass Xpeng in Q3, Highlighting the Importance of Power Semiconductors in EV Manufacturing
Chinese Auto Maker Ador Young Families Step into Building In-house Automotive Chips
Chinese Auto Maker Ador Young Families Step into Building In-house Automotive Chips
Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto is looking to hire automotive chip experts, signaling that the company is moving forward with plans to develop its own chips.
The company is reportedly seeking candidates with experience in automotive software development, motor control algorithms, powertrain calibration, and power electronics control. It has also posted a job listing for a power semiconductor manager to establish the company’s automotive R&D center and formulate product roadmaps
Li Auto is not alone in its efforts to build its own automotive chips. Xpeng and Nio, the two other Chinese EV upstarts that make up the country’s EV triumvirate of young, fast-growing companies, are also ramping up their in-house semiconductor efforts,
These efforts are in response to the global chip shortage, which has severely impacted the automotive industry.
The chip shortage has also exacerbated the auto industry’s supply chain disruptions, which are further complicated by the war in Ukraine and China’s strict zero-Covid policy.
Li Auto Hires Talent from Singapore to Develop Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Modules
Li Auto, a Chinese electric vehicle maker adored by young families, is stepping into a new endeavor to build an in-house automotive chip. The company, which previously announced a partnership with Nvidia, is now seeking talent overseas to develop silicon carbide (SiC) power modules.
According to a job posting on LinkedIn, Li Auto is currently hiring five positions in Singapore to develop silicon carbide (SiC) power modules, electronic components that use SiC semiconductors to switch currents more efficiently. The positions will be based in Singapore, with the company establishing an R&D center in the city-state.
The job posting includes roles such as a general manager responsible for setting up the Li Auto RD center in Singapore, formulating technology and product roadmaps for power semiconductors, and leading the development and mass production of power semiconductor products. Other positions include a senior hardware engineer to lead the power module development and a power electronics engineer to design power modules with SiC devices.
The move comes at a time when Chinese tech companies are increasingly looking overseas to seek talent in a bid to reduce reliance on foreign technologies and bolster their semiconductor capabilities.
In-house Automotive Chip Development: Li Auto Expands Hiring, Including General Manager Position
In-house Automotive Chip Development: Li Auto Expands Hiring, Including General Manager Position
Li Auto, the electric vehicle maker founded by Chinese billionaire Xiang Li, has been expanding its in-house automotive chip development team and seeking talents abroad as part of its long-term plan to make its own chips. Currently, the eight-year-old company is looking to fill five positions in Singapore to develop silicon carbide (SiC) power modules and electronic components using SiC semiconductors to switch and control power. The general manager role will be based in Li Auto’s R&D center in Shanghai, where the successful candidate will help formulate the product roadmap for the power semiconductor business.
Li Auto Recruits Singapore Team for Automotive Chip Work, Led by Chief Technology Officer Yan Xie
Li Auto, an electric vehicle maker adored by young Chinese families, is stepping up its endeavor to build an in-house automotive chip by going abroad to seek talent.
The eight-year-old company is currently hiring for five positions in Singapore to develop silicon carbide (SiC) power modules, electronic components that use SiC semiconductor switches, according to the firm’s LinkedIn recruitment notices posted yesterday. The headcount includes hiring a general manager responsible for establishing Li Auto’s R&D center in the city-state, formulating technology and product roadmaps for power semiconductors.
The recruitment in Singapore represents a small fraction of Li Auto’s assembly line work in automotive chips, according to Chinese tech news blog LatePost. The head of the firm’s semiconductor endeavor is reportedly chief technology officer Yan Xie, whose background is primarily in software engineering at Chinese tech giants like Huawei and Alibaba. TechCrunch has reached out to Li Auto for comment on the story.
Li Auto, along with NIO and XPeng, forms the triumvirate of young EV upstarts in China, defying expectations that limited manufacturing experience would prevent them from gaining meaningful ground in the market deeply entrenched by traditional automakers. Among them, Li Auto stood out with sales figures: in the third quarter, the Beijing-based carmaker shipped over 26,000 vehicles, doubling XPeng’s record for the period. NIO hasn’t announced its result; it delivered around 25,000 vehicles. The disparity highlights the importance of supply chain stability, especially when major carmakers around the world, including Chinese EV firms, rely on power semiconductors, motor control and inference chips to advance assisted driving and autonomous driving, becoming major selling points for domestic consumers.
The company is also increasingly wary of potential chip sanctions should the relationship between China and the US continue to worsen. The US’s sweeping language models in the space have already taken a big hit from the Biden administration’s restrictions on Nvidia’s high-end AI chips to China. China’s homegrown answer to Nvidia’s autograd chip, such as Black Sesame, Horizon Robotics and Cambricon, are still in their infancy.
Li Auto, XPeng and NIO have committed to investing in making their own chips, following in the footsteps of their American counterpart Tesla. In September, for example, NIO released its first proprietary system-on-a-chip (SoC) for lidar, backed by its head of autonomous vehicle Xinzhou Wu. Wu hinted at the time that the company might also consider working on AV chips. Wu, a Qualcomm veteran, recently left XPeng after a senior position at Nvidia, a move seen as the semiconductor giant’s attempt to catch up in the auto chip-making game.
Li Auto, NIO, and Xpeng: The Triumvirate of China’s EV Upstarts Defying Manufacturing Limits
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers Li Auto, NIO, and Xpeng are investing heavily in developing in-house automotive chips, defying manufacturing limits and the global chip shortage. The three companies, often referred to as the “Triumvirate of China’s EV Upstarts,” have been ramping up their efforts in chip development in recent months.
Li Auto, for example, recently announced that it had established a new RD center in Singapore to develop silicon carbide (SiC) power modules. The company also plans to hire five positions in Singapore, including a general manager responsible for establishing the Li Auto RD center. Similarly, NIO has been actively recruiting talent in Singapore for its semiconductor endeavors.
According to a post on its LinkedIn recruitment page yesterday, the company is looking to hire a senior manager for its power semiconductor program. The job description mentions that the successful candidate will be responsible for formulating technology and product roadmaps for the power semiconductor program. Lastly, Xpeng has also been expanding its chip development team. The company is reportedly working on an automotive chip that will be used in its upcoming models. Xpeng’s CEO, He Xiaopeng, has previously stated that the company is committed to developing its own chips to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
Li Auto’s Sales Figures Surpass Xpeng in Q3, Highlighting the Importance of Power Semiconductors in EV Manufacturing
In the third quarter, Li Auto’s sales figures surpassed Xpeng, highlighting the importance of power semiconductors in EV manufacturing. Li Auto has been stepping up its efforts to build an in-house automotive chip team by going abroad to seek talent. The eight-year-old company is currently hiring for five positions in Singapore to develop silicon carbide (SiC) power modules, electronic components that use SiC semiconductor switches.
According to a LinkedIn recruitment notice posted yesterday, the headcount will include hires for a general manager responsible for establishing Li Auto’s R&D center in the city-state to formulate technology and product roadmaps for power semiconductors. The firm is also recruiting in Singapore for a small fraction of the reported team of around 300 Li Auto engineers working on automotive chips, according to Chinese tech news blog LatePost. The head of the firm’s semiconductor endeavor is reportedly chief technology officer Yan Xie, whose background is primarily in software engineering at Chinese tech giants like Huawei and Alibaba.