Freetech at 2025 Horizon Robotics Technology Ecosystem Conference: New Intelligent Driving Milestones, Jointly Popularizing Mass Production Deployment

On December 8th, the 2025 Horizon Robotics Technology Ecosystem Conference was held in Shenzhen. Dr. Lin Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Freetech, was invited and delivered a keynote speech detailing the company’s core technical capabilities in software-hardware integration. Through continuous innovation, Freetech has achieved comprehensive breakthroughs in the deployment speed, cost, efficiency, and performance of intelligent driving assistance solutions. These achievements have not only accelerated the mainstream adoption of intelligent driving technologies in China, but also laid a solid foundation for stepping onto a broader global stage.

In his speech, Dr. Lin Zhang reviewed the history of deep cooperation between Freetech and Horizon Robotics. Since signing their strategic partnership agreement in 2019, the two parties have collaborated closely: In 2021, they jointly launched their first front-view smart camera; in 2022, they introduced the industry's first mass-produced driving-parking integrated highway NOA solution that broke the price barrier to vehicles under the RMB 150k range; in the same year, they introduced the industry's first 8MP front-view smart camera to the market; and in 2025, the ADC25 "Democratized Smart Edition" City NOA solution, powered by the Journey 6M chip, successfully achieved mass production.

“Riding the Waves” into the Era of Mass Intelligent Mobility

Freetech, founded in 2016, is a leading domestic Tier-1 supplier of intelligent driving solutions. According to third-party data, the company has become the largest domestic independent supplier in the L2 driving assistance sector. To date, the company has established deep collaborations with over 50 OEMs, secured more than 380 vehicle model nominations, and deployed its solutions to over 3 million mass-produced vehicles. Freetech operates R&D centers in Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Wuzhen, alongside a modern intelligent manufacturing base and a professional testing ground in Wuzhen, enabling efficient execution of various regulatory-mandated tests.

Freetech has built a comprehensive intelligent driving product matrix, covering key technological stages from perception to decision-making. In addition to algorithms and software, the company has established a product portfolio including front-view smart cameras, millimeter-wave (mmWave) radars, camera modules, and domain controllers serving as the "automotive brain." Dr. Lin Zhang emphasized that this full-stack capability in software-hardware integration allows Freetech to deliver system-level solutions to OEMs with superior efficiency and optimized costs.

In recent years, as vehicle intelligence accelerates, the market penetration of highway and city NOA solutions continues to rise. Citing corporate business data, Dr. Lin Zhang noted that in the first half of 2025, Freetech's FT Ultra solution - which supports both highway and city NOA - saw rapid growth in both the sales volume and per-vehicle value compared to the same period in 2024, directly driving the company's overall revenue growth. He stressed that this achievement would not have been possible without deep cooperation and co-innovation with Horizon Robotics over the past six years.

Collaborating with Horizon to Achieve a "1+1>2" Effect

The collaboration between Freetech and Horizon Robotics has achieved significant synergies. While Horizon Robotics continuously iterates its BPU (Brain Processing Unit) architecture, Freetech leverages its own mature technology stack, strong engineering deployment capabilities, and efficient algorithm toolchains to ensure each generation of Horizon Robotics’ chips achieves the optimum efficiency, driving the fastest commercial "acceleration" in the industry. While shipment volumes of Journey 2 and Journey 3 solutions have grown fast year-on-year, solutions based on the Journey 6 series are ramping up rapidly as city NOA enters the mass-production stage, demonstrating strong growth momentum.

Freetech’s ADC25 City NOA solution is emerging as a game-changer for mid-level intelligent driving market penetration. Dr. Lin Zhang shared key data during his speech to highlight this significant milestone based on the Journey 6M. It took only Freetech 7.5 months from the initial project nomination to the start of production for the first vehicle model, setting a new industry record for deployment speed. The solution has secured nominations for over 20 vehicle models, with several already entering the mass-production and delivery stage. Million-kilometer-level real-world data generated daily continuously feeds back into algorithm iterations, ensuring a constantly optimizing driving experience for users.

Freetech’s system architecture serves as a critical pillar for efficient delivery. Dr. Lin Zhang noted that automated driving is a complex system engineering challenge. In response, Freetech built its AI-centric ODIN digital intelligent foundation. By vertically integrating sensors, controllers, software, algorithms, and data closed-loop platforms, Freetech has achieved comprehensive breakthroughs in delivery efficiency, quality, and safety. Concurrently, the company is deeply integrating AI into its R&D, quality management, and manufacturing workflows to boost operational efficiency and reinforce its competitive edges.

Regarding sensors, Freetech’s second-generation 4D imaging mmWave radar has garnered significant market attention. Dr. Lin Zhang further explained that this product complies with the Intelligent and Connected Vehicle - Safety Requirements of Combined Driver Assistance System and has already secured mass-production orders for over a million units from a premier automaker’s inaugural platforms. Technically, the radar features an integrated 8T8R (8-transmit, 8-receive) chip architecture and a waveguide antenna design, delivering a superior signal-to-noise ratio, longer detection range, and enhanced resolution to distinguish a small target from large targets. It can also switch between distinct RF strategies tailored to high-speed and low-speed scenarios. As a robust complement to vision sensors, it provides users with a safer, more reliable mobility experience.

FUZE Middleware & FUGA Data Closed-Loop Solutions

In his address, Dr. Lin Zhang highlighted Freetech’s proprietary FUZE Middleware Platform and FUGA Data Closed-Loop Solutions. He noted that under the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) trend, core automotive value is increasingly driven by software. In this landscape, middleware plays a vital bridging role by adapting to quickly evolving upper-layer applications while remaining highly compatible with diverse underlying chip architectures and electronic/electrical (E/E) architectures.

As a member of the AUTOSAR organization, Freetech ensures that the FUZE middleware evolves in lockstep with AUTOSAR releases. The FUZE platform has iterated from its 1.0 architecture to the current 4.0 version, offering platform-level capabilities such as deterministic task scheduling services, atomic algorithm services, and one-click configuration deployment. This has drastically improved software integration, configuration, and adaptation efficiency, serving as one of the vital technical backbones for the rapid mass-production delivery of the ADC25 City NOA solution mentioned earlier.

In an era of exponential AI growth, accelerated algorithm iterations and data-driven frameworks are paramount foundations. Dr. Lin Zhang asserted that a robust data closed-loop is a must-have capability for automated driving solution providers. The FUGA data closed-loop solution established by Freetech encompasses core capabilities such as data operations management, data mining, scenario management, and algorithm training iterations. Concurrently with the comprehensive upgrade to ODIN 3.0, FUGA has integrated multiple Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities and now provides data services tailored to end-to-end (E2E) algorithms. The newly upgraded FUGA platform will empower OEMs to transition more efficiently toward high-quality, end-to-end intelligent driving solutions.

In closing his address, Dr. Lin Zhang stated that Freetech now has the strength to compete toe-to-toe with global giants, relying on its accumulation of proprietary intellectual property and technological innovations. Through scale-oriented mass production, the company is actively democratizing intelligent driving assistance technologies. Amidst the profound transformation of the global automotive industry, Freetech looks forward to deepening its strategic partnership with Horizon Robotics to collectively drive Chinese intelligent driving solutions into a broader global market.