NVIDIA, an American semiconductor design company, has significantly increased its recruitment of artificial intelligence (AI) researchers for automotive projects in China.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that NVIDIA’s Chinese workforce is projected to grow from about 3,000 employees at the start of this year to roughly 4,000 by the end of the year. A major factor in this expansion is the addition of 200 staff to the autonomous driving research team in Beijing.
Anonymous sources disclosed that the remaining new hires are joining the after-sales service and networking software development teams.
NVIDIA is expanding its global workforce in response to soaring demand for AI semiconductors.
The company employed 29,600 people across 36 countries as of February.
The workforce at NVIDIA’s Chinese subsidiary continues to grow, with approximately 600 employees now based in Beijing. The company recently opened a new office in the Zhongguancun tech hub in downtown Beijing.
While U.S. trade regulations prevent NVIDIA from selling cutting-edge semiconductors to China, the company’s sales in the Chinese market are still rising, driven by transactions involving lower-spec chips.
NVIDIA reported revenue of $5.4 billion for the third quarter of this year.
Despite NVIDIA’s efforts to maintain good relations with China, one of its key markets, the Chinese government launched an investigation this week into alleged antitrust violations by the company.
NVIDIA acquired Israeli semiconductor firm Mellanox for $6.9 billion in 2020 to bolster its data center business.
The Chinese government approved the acquisition under certain conditions, but NVIDIA is now accused of violating those terms.
Although NVIDIA has been developing AI software for autonomous driving for over a decade, the company has yet to see significant breakthroughs in this area.
Bloomberg suggests that NVIDIA’s recent expansion of its local research team in China aims to tap into Chinese expertise in developing technologies for affordable electric vehicles and connected cars, potentially boosting the competitiveness of its autonomous driving programs.
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