Geely Evaluates Nio’s Shenji M97 Chip for L3 Autonomous Driving System

Geely is evaluating the Shenji M97 autonomous-driving chip — jointly developed by Nio and semiconductor firm Axera — for integration into a dual-chip L3-level driver-assistance system, according to reports.

The move would be notable, as it represents a potential crossover in supply relationships within China's competitive new-energy-vehicle sector. Nio, traditionally a vertically oriented EV maker, could see its in-house chip development arm open up to another major Chinese automaker.

The Shenji M97 is designed to support advanced autonomous-driving functions at the SAE Level 3 threshold, where the vehicle can manage driving tasks under certain conditions while the driver remains responsible for monitoring. A dual-chip configuration would likely pair two M97 units to deliver the compute headroom required for real-time perception, planning and control at that autonomy level.

No formal announcement has been made regarding whether Geely will finalize the adoption of the chip, and Geely and Nio have not publicly commented on the evaluation process.

Axera, a Shenzhen-based fabless chip designer, has partnered with Nio on the Shenji series of smart-cockpit and intelligent-driving processors. The collaboration has positioned Nio as one of the few Chinese EV makers developing proprietary silicon rather than relying solely on suppliers such as NVIDIA or Qualcomm.

If the M97 enters Geely's supply chain, it would signal a growing trend of cross-brand component sharing among Chinese NEV makers — a shift from the industry's earlier pattern of keeping critical technologies proprietary.