XPeng technology licensing in 2026: Turing AI chips, ADAS and robotaxi systems

© A. Krivonosov

XPeng is building a second business alongside electric-car sales: the Chinese company plans to offer foreign automakers its electronics, software and artificial-intelligence technology. Reuters reports that contacts with potential partners are already under way, although the companies involved have not been named.

This is not about a single component. The package could include the vehicle's electrical and electronic architecture, digital-cockpit systems, proprietary Turing AI chips and ADAS software. Further ahead, XPeng is considering licensing and adapting its technology for robotaxis, humanoid robots and other Physical AI applications.

The economics explain why this direction has become so important. According to XPeng's official report for the second quarter of 2026, vehicle margin was 12.1%, while the services and others margin reached 75.1%, up from 53.6% a year earlier. The company linked the segment's growth in part to revenue from technical R&D services as well as sales of components and accessories.

Cooperation with Volkswagen has already become a working model for this business. The jointly developed ID.UNYX 08 reached series production in just 24 months, according to Volkswagen's official release.

XPeng now wants to extend this model to other players. Potential customers could include not only carmakers but also component suppliers and software developers. That marks a notable shift: the Chinese company is effectively trying to move from exporting finished electric cars to exporting the technological foundation of a modern vehicle.

There is another level to the strategy. XPeng has already put its own robotaxi into series production, using four Turing AI chips with combined computing performance of up to 3000 TOPS and the VLA 2.0 model. That means an offering for outside partners could go well beyond a conventional vehicle platform and encompass ready-made autonomous-transport solutions.

For now, however, plans need to be separated from signed contracts. Reuters says XPeng is in contact with interested parties, but no new automakers have been identified and no agreements have been announced. The next milestone will be a second publicly named customer after Volkswagen: only then will it become clear whether XPeng's technology business is developing into an independent global operation.