SemiDrive raises $150M Series C extension as auto-chip shipments top 14 million

What's the deal? Chinese automotive chipmaker SemiDrive said on Monday it had completed Series C+ and C++ funding rounds, bringing its total Series C financing in 2026 to about US$137.5M (roughly $150 million). Investors included Walden International, Shaanxi Investment Fund, Shaanxi Financial Asset Management, and Shaanxi New Era CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, alongside other financial and strategic backers.

What's the endgame? Proceeds will primarily fund research and development of core technologies and their commercialisation. SemiDrive plans to strengthen its edge in smart cockpit and vehicle control chips while extending its automotive-grade capabilities to embodied AI and other smart devices.

Why now? This is SemiDrive's second funding announcement this year, following a Series C round of nearly $100 million in May.

How big is it? Cumulative shipments across its automotive chip lineup have exceeded 14 million units, up from 12 million in May. Its products reach more than 90% of Chinese automakers and some international manufacturers, including SAIC MotorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, CheryDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Changan AutomobileDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, NissanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, HondaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, VolkswagenDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Li Auto.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Nanjing, SemiDrive is among a small number of chip designers globally that offer both automotive-grade system-on-chips (SoCs) and high-performance microcontroller units (MCUs). Its lineup includes the X9 smart cockpit chip, V9 smart driving chip, G9 central gateway chip, and E3 MCU.

Walden said SemiDrive ranks first among domestic suppliers by market share in both smart cockpit chips and vehicle control MCUs. Its expansion into embodied AI "opens up further growth opportunities," the investor said.

The signal: SemiDrive's back-to-back rounds underline China's push to build domestic chip champions for its dominant electric-vehicle industry — and its bet that automotive-grade silicon can carry over into the fast-growing embodied AI market.

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