Xiaomi open-sources AI model spanning autonomous driving and robotics
News Summary
Chinese smartphone and EV manufacturer Xiaomi has open-sourced its new foundation model, MiMo-Embodied, which integrates autonomous driving and embodied artificial intelligence. This move follows the launch of its first large language model, MiMo, in April. Xiaomi stated that MiMo-Embodied is the first open-source vision-language model combining autonomous driving and embodied AI tasks, achieving state-of-the-art performance in both domains. The model demonstrated superior results in task planning, affordance prediction, and spatial understanding for embodied AI, while excelling in environmental perception, status prediction, and drive planning for autonomous driving. Xiaomi's recent hiring of Luo Fuli, a former core researcher at Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek, further underscores its commitment to the AI sector.
Background
EV and AI initiatives have become an increasingly important part of Xiaomi's business. The company debuted prototypes of a quadrupedal robot dog and a humanoid robot in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and has been heavily investing in related areas. The open-sourcing of MiMo-Embodied follows the release of its first large language model, MiMo, in April, underscoring Xiaomi's long-term strategy in AI. Interest in embodied intelligence, which integrates AI into physical systems, has surged alongside rapid advancements in humanoid robotics in China. Xiaomi's open-source initiative is timely, aiming to leverage a broader developer community to accelerate its AI and robotics technology development.
In-Depth AI Insights
What are the true strategic drivers behind Xiaomi's open-sourcing of its AI model? - While ostensibly about technical synergy and ecosystem expansion, a deeper consideration is leveraging external developer resources to accelerate R&D in two high-investment areas: Electric Vehicles (EVs) and robotics, thereby lowering internal costs. Open-sourcing aims to attract talent and innovation, countering the first-mover advantages of domestic giants like Baidu and Huawei, and international competitors like Tesla, in AI and EVs. - Against the backdrop of the incumbent Trump administration's ongoing pressure on Chinese technology, building an open AI ecosystem may also be Xiaomi's way of enhancing its technological independence and global influence, laying the groundwork for future international collaborations and market expansion, and reducing reliance on single technology stacks or suppliers. How does this move impact the competitive landscape of China's AI and EV industries? - Xiaomi's action will intensify the