Horizon Robotics unveils major upgrade to HSD driving assistance system

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Horizon Robotics recently announced the biggest upgrade yet to its Horizon SuperDrive™ (HSD) urban driving assistance system. The company said via its WeChat account on August 24 that the new version introduces a fully end-to-end architecture and reinforcement learning capabilities, promising a smoother, more human-like, and highly reliable driver-assistance experience across diverse urban scenarios.

According to Horizon Robotics' Vice President of Horizon Robotics and Head of Strategy, Smart Driving Product Planning & Marketing, Lv Peng, traditional hybrid architectures—whether two-stage or one-stage with rule-based post-processing—tend to separate lateral and longitudinal control, leading to complex modules, latency, and information loss. HSD's true one-stage end-to-end approach, by contrast, enables defensive driving behaviors closely resembling those of professional chauffeurs, marking a key turning point toward human-like assisted driving.

The defining feature of this upgrade is the integration of end-to-end processing with reinforcement learning. By enabling direct trajectory output from raw visual inputs with minimal latency, the system delivers seamless integration of lateral and longitudinal control while enhancing safety, efficiency, and comfort. The reinforcement learning mechanism further unlocks the system's potential through self-optimization, producing emergent intelligence comparable to cutting-edge AI models such as DeepSeek R1.

This leap in capability is powered by Horizon Robotics' Journey 6P computing solution, delivering 560 TOPS of processing strength. With high integration, computing power, efficiency, connectivity, and safety all combined in one platform, the hardware-software synergy provides the backbone for HSD's premium, human-like driving experience that is designed to inspire user trust.

To reinforce safety, Horizon Robotics has built one of the industry's largest active safety scenario libraries, covering over 30,000 datasets and validated through more than 10 million kilometers of simulated and real-world testing.

Notably, Horizon Robotics said it has obtained the world's first and only ISO 8800 certification for AI functional safety in road vehicles. To date, its systems have been validated by over 500 million kilometers of safe driving across five million households, supplemented by international trials spanning more than 50 countries and 1.5 million kilometers.

Mass production of HSD is now approaching. The system will debut later this year in the Chery EXEED STERRA E05, marking the start of commercial deliveries. Horizon Robotics has also reached cooperation intentions with nearly ten global automakers, signaling wider adoption in the near future.