Wedoany.com Report-Sept. 18, On September 17, Hello Inc., a Chinese provider of commute solutions, announced that its Robotaxi unit has received strategic investment from Alibaba Group. This investment marks a further strengthening of their existing collaboration, which now expands into areas such as smart driving models, computing platforms, and Robotaxi operations, with the aim of accelerating the commercialization and scaling of autonomous driving technologies across the industry.

The collaboration will focus on real-world Robotaxi operations and the requirements needed to deliver autonomous driving solutions that prioritize low costs, high safety, reliability, and availability. In addition to operational collaboration, Hello and Alibaba will co-develop foundational AI models, covering areas like vision, speech, and language, and create domain-specific models for smart cockpits. The companies also plan to explore the innovative use of "world models" in autonomous driving technologies.

Alibaba Cloud will play a significant role in supporting Hello’s Robotaxi operations through joint R&D efforts. This will focus on enhancing algorithm development, improving user experiences, and optimizing operational efficiency for Hello’s Robotaxi fleet.

Alibaba Group CEO Wu Yongming commented on the partnership, noting that Hello has accumulated extensive experience and technical expertise in the mobility sector. He added that Alibaba will leverage its strengths in AI and cloud computing to expedite the rollout of large-model and autonomous driving technologies while transforming the user travel experience.

Earlier this year, in June, Hello formally entered the Robotaxi sector by jointly establishing Zaofu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. with Ant Group and CATL. The new venture, supported by an initial investment of over 3 billion yuan, is focused on developing and commercializing L4 autonomous driving technologies. Hello aims to scale its Robotaxi business within two years and is already working closely with local governments in China. The company also plans to expand its operations internationally, bringing its autonomous driving products and services to global markets.

Hello’s Robotaxi division has already assembled a core team of over 200 experts, including top AI and autonomous driving specialists recruited from prestigious universities and research institutions around the world. As the company moves toward large-scale deployment, it plans to continue attracting global talent to support its technological advancements.