Oppo partners with BYD for joint development of EVs and AI

30 October 2024

Not to be outdone by Xiaomi, the Chinese tech giant Oppo is looking expand its reach beyond the mobile market. In a recent announcement, Oppo revealed a strategic partnership with BYD to integrate smartphone technology withing its smart car systems. That would let you control various aspects of your BYD electric vehicles directly from your Oppo smartphone.

The first fruit of this partnership is the integration of Oppo's Find X8 series with BYD's Denza Z9 GT sedan. Find X8 owners can now unlock and control certain functions of their Z9 GT, with the potential for deeper integration between smartphones and EVs in the future. This approach mirrors similar strategies adopted by other tech giants, like Huawei and vivo, as companies push to capitalize on the growing synergy between mobile devices and the automotive industry.

Oppo's expansion drive goes beyond EVs. The company is also acquiring AIWaves, a startup specializing in generative AI. AIWaves has developed a large language model called "Weaver," which powers generative AI services similar to ChatGPT. The acquisition will enable Oppo to integrate advanced AI capabilities into its devices, with features like AI-assisted writing, enhanced photography, and more intuitive user interfaces.

On a completely EV-unrelated sidenote, one of AIWaves' flagship products is "Wawa Writing," known as "Frog Writing" in English. This AI-powered writing tool assists users with various writing tasks, including marketing copy and creative writing. While we are getting excited about ChatGPT, the "Frog" can reportedly generate an impressive 100,000 Chinese words in just 10 minutes. That's as much as we publish every month.

Oppo's entry into the EV and AI sectors comes at a time when the company is looking to diversify its business and strengthen its position in the global tech landscape. Currently ranked as the world's fourth-largest smartphone vendor, Oppo faces stiff competition from giants like Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi. By venturing into new and emerging technologies, Oppo hopes to stay ahead of the curve and capture new markets.

The collaboration with BYD will start from simple phone-car integrations, but both companies have big plans for the future. BYD and Oppo will focus on dedicated hardware module development and software systems. The partnership will go as far as intelligent algorithm development for smart cockpit platforms, including health monitoring systems. Both companies talk about the possibilities of having multimedia sharing and computing power sharing, making the car more than just a transport solution.

Via