BMW bolsters artificial intelligence capabilities through DeepSeek advancement
BMW has announced a new partnership with Chinese AI company DeepSeek, marking a significant move in the automaker's strategy to optimize its products for the Chinese market. The collaboration was unveiled at the ongoing Auto Shanghai event.
The partnership is part of a broader strategy by BMW to partner with Chinese technology companies. In recent times, the company has also allied with ByteDance, Alibaba, and Huawei for optimization of vehicle software, customer communication, and digital ecosystems in the Chinese market.
DeepSeek, a rising star in the Chinese AI sector, gained attention in early 2025 with its open-source model DeepSeek-R1. This model offers comparable performance to ChatGPT, yet requires lower computational resources and is highly localized for the Chinese market.
The integration of DeepSeek technology into new BMW models, set to be available from late 2025, aims to enhance the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. This partnership is exclusive to the Chinese market, reflecting BMW's commitment to leveraging Chinese technology companies to cater to local needs.
Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW, stated that China is a significant source of innovation for the company, particularly in the field of Artificial Intelligence. He emphasized that the goal of these partnerships is to provide access to information beyond the vehicle itself.
Despite facing challenges in the Chinese market, such as decreased sales by 17.2% in the first quarter of the year, resulting in 155,195 units sold, and the threat of US import tariffs, investors currently remain on the sidelines.
Buyers in China are increasingly favoring domestic manufacturers due to technological advantages and lower prices. However, BMW's strategy of cooperating with local Chinese companies to optimize their products for the Chinese market could potentially change this trend.
The new models with DeepSeek technology will join BMW's lineup, as the company continues to navigate the dynamic and competitive Chinese market. BMW (WKN: 519000) remains committed to its strategy of leveraging Chinese technology companies to ensure its products meet the unique needs of the Chinese market.
