[250110] #Helm.ai #SiLC #TuSimple

1. Helm.ai Announces GenSim-2: Generative AI with Video Editing Capabilities for Autonomous Driving Development

• Helm.ai has unveiled GenSim-2, a next-generation generative AI model designed for creating and modifying video data for autonomous driving development.
• GenSim-2 enables automakers to dynamically modify weather, lighting, and object appearances in video data, enhancing simulation realism and dataset diversity.
• The model supports augmented reality modifications and fully AI-generated video scenes, ensuring realism and consistency across multi-camera perspectives.
• Key features include adjustments to road surfaces, vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, vegetation, and other road objects, tailored for specific autonomous driving scenarios.
• Trained using Helm.ai’s Deep Teaching™ methodology, GenSim-2 addresses critical industry challenges by offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional data collection methods.
• The model is designed to tackle rare and complex corner cases in autonomous driving, supporting development and validation across diverse geographies and scenarios.
• Helm.ai CEO Vladislav Voroninski emphasized that GenSim-2 bridges the gap between simulation and real-world conditions, accelerating development timelines and reducing costs.

  

2. SiLC launches its first end product with LiDAR for industrial automation

• SiLC Technologies has launched its first end product, the Eyeonic Trace Laser Line Scanner, designed for industrial automation with 1mm accuracy up to 10m.
• The Eyeonic Trace uses SiLC’s integrated FMCW LiDAR chip, offering sub-millimeter precision for tasks like conveyor belt inspections, robotic arm scanning, and assembly line operations.
• With a 72° field of view and Class 1 eye-safe laser, it provides high precision and safety, eliminating the need for restricted zones or special eye protection.
• The scanner performs well in varied environments, handling objects with diverse reflective properties in dim warehouses or bright sunlight without interference from ambient light.
• This marks SiLC’s first fully integrated product, expanding its business model to serve a broader customer base, including those without integration capabilities.
• Key features include a compact design (200 x 135 x 75 mm), ability to measure large objects from a height, and reliability across a wide dynamic range.
• Industry experts highlighted the scanner’s precision, quick response time, and wide applicability for fast-moving industrial automation tasks.
• The Eyeonic Trace will debut at CES 2025, with samples available in Q2 2025 and full production scheduled for the second half of 2025.

SiLC Technologies unveils the Eyeonic Trace Laser Line Scanner, offering sub-millimeter precision and Class 1 eye-safe FMCW LiDAR for industrial automation.

3. Chinese self-driving trucking company pivots to generative AI for video games

• TuSimple has rebranded to CreateAI, pivoting from autonomous trucking to focus on video games and animation, leveraging its AI expertise.
• The company plans to release a video game based on Jin Yong’s martial arts novels in 2026, with expectations of generating hundreds of millions in revenue by 2027.
• CreateAI has launched its first AI model, Ruyi, an open-source tool for visual work available on the Hugging Face platform.
• The company aims to reduce triple-A game production costs by 70% over the next five to six years and plans to expand its headcount from 300 to 500 employees in 2025.
• Co-founder Xiaodi Hou, the largest individual shareholder, opposes the pivot to gaming and animation, calling for the company’s liquidation.
• CreateAI’s pivot follows financial challenges, including a $189 million settlement, delisting from Nasdaq, and $164.4 million spent on R&D in 2023.
• Previously under the TuSimple brand, the company partnered with Shanghai Three Body Animation to develop projects based on “The Three-Body Problem”.
• Despite U.S. semiconductor restrictions, CreateAI claims no impact on its operations, using a mix of Chinese and non-Chinese cloud providers.

4. Mercedes-Benz approved for 95kph Level 3 autonomous driving in Germany

5. Hesai Group: Accelerating Growth In The LiDAR Market

• Hesai Group showed incredibly strong growth in LiDAR deliveries in Q3 and especially the Q4 outlook, as the company has secured great market share with a number of design wins.
• The competition in LiDAR and ADAS remains fierce, and Hesai’s market share could still be pressured, especially over the long term.
• While Hesai’s cash flows have been deeply negative due to R&D and capitalized investments, the profitability outlook is rapidly improving through growth and good cost control.
• I estimate HSAI stock to have further upside after the recent rally, but ultimately remain cautious due to high long-term earnings uncertainty.