Huawei Autonomous Driving Leads, Fasteners Enter New Era

The report's core data directly demonstrates Huawei's safety advantages. Using the metric of average kilometers driven before a serious collision, Huawei ADS assisted driving mode achieved 6.44 million kilometers, far exceeding the 4.90 million kilometers of human-driven vehicles equipped with Huawei's system, and significantly surpassing the China average of 1.80 million kilometers for human-driven vehicles without Huawei's system. This data does not negate human driving capability but confirms the stability advantages of autonomous driving systems in continuous perception and risk prediction. Huawei's autonomous driving relies on the Ascend AI chip series and MDC computing platform, establishing a fully self-developed perception-decision-execution system that avoids most potential risks through millisecond-level response.

It must be acknowledged that autonomous driving systems are not completely free from accidents, but Huawei's accident rate is significantly lower than that of human drivers. Behind this advantage, beyond precise AI algorithm control, reliable hardware system coordination is essential. As the core autonomous driving hardware, Huawei's MDC domain controller must operate stably across temperatures from -40°C to 85°C and under high-vibration environments. The fixation of internal chips and circuit boards depends on high-precision fasteners. These fasteners must meet strength grades of 10.9 or above, with anti-loosening thread designs and corrosion-resistant surface treatment processes, ensuring no loosening or failure under complex vehicle operating conditions, thereby building a foundation for stable autonomous driving system computation.

At Huawei's Qiankun Media Day, production targets disclosed by Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei's Intelligent Automotive Solutions BU, further released growth signals for the fastener market. It is estimated that in 2026, the number of vehicle models equipped with Huawei's Qiankun ADS will exceed 80, with cumulative installations reaching approximately 3 million units, covering multiple brands including AITO, Avatr, and Arcfox. Different vehicle models have varying autonomous driving hardware configurations. For example, the AITO M7 uses the MDC 300 domain controller based on the Ascend 310 chip, while the Avatr 11 uses the MDC 810 platform with the Ascend 610 chip, creating differentiated fastener requirements.

The cumulative installation scale of 3 million units represents a breakthrough in fastener supporting demand. A single autonomous driving vehicle requires dozens to hundreds of specialized fasteners for core components including domain controllers, LiDAR, cameras, and sensors. Taking LiDAR as an example, as the core sensing component, its installation precision directly affects environmental recognition accuracy, requiring micro-precision bolts with tolerance controlled within ±0.02mm, while providing vibration resistance and electromagnetic interference resistance to avoid perception accuracy degradation from component displacement during driving. As equipped vehicle models expand, fastener companies with automotive-grade certification and customized production capabilities will face broad market opportunities.

The upcoming Huawei Qiankun ADS V4.1 version introduces new features that impose higher requirements on fastener performance, further driving industry technology upgrades. The new eAES emergency avoidance feature for preventing front-rear collisions requires efficient coordination between the chassis, braking system, and autonomous driving system. Instantaneous braking and avoidance actions generate significant impact forces. Fasteners connecting chassis components must provide high strength and high toughness, using titanium alloy or high-strength alloy steel with lock nuts and spring washers to ensure connections remain intact.

For driver incapacitation and hands-off timeout emergency handling features, the core lies in precise execution of automatic roadside stopping and emergency calling. This depends on stable coordination between the steering system and body control system. Fasteners connecting steering motors and assist mechanisms must maintain stability under dynamic loads, with cold heading and heat treatment processes enhancing fatigue resistance to avoid fastener wear or fracture from frequent starting, stopping, and steering operations. The human-driven tire blowout assistance vehicle control feature is an extreme test for suspension system fasteners. Vehicle attitude control at the moment of tire blowout requires fasteners to withstand severe loads while maintaining connection reliability, preventing suspension component displacement that could cause secondary risks.

From a technology trend perspective, Huawei's progress toward L3/L4 levels is also a process of fasteners transitioning from basic connections to safety enablement. Traditional automotive fasteners are primarily standardized products, while autonomous driving vehicles increasingly demand customized, high-precision, and intelligent fasteners. For example, fasteners for the MDC 810 platform (with two Ascend 610 chips providing 352 TOPS of computing power) must adapt to highly integrated hardware structures, using compact designs while maintaining connection strength. Some high-end vehicle models have begun adopting smart fasteners with stress monitoring capabilities, providing real-time feedback on component connection status and offering additional safety redundancy for autonomous driving systems.

Currently, domestic fastener companies are accelerating adaptation to autonomous driving industry requirements, entering core supply chains through technology development and quality certification. To meet the stringent requirements of Huawei's autonomous driving hardware, leading companies have broken through key areas including precision cold heading, surface passivation, and anti-loosening technology. Some products have obtained ASIL-D functional safety certification, qualifying them for the high-reliability requirements of autonomous driving systems. As the Huawei autonomous driving ecosystem continues to expand, the fastener industry will undergo structural adjustments, with low-end standardized products gradually losing market share while high-end precision and customized fasteners become the core of competition.

Huawei's safety breakthroughs and production acceleration in autonomous driving are not only reshaping the automotive mobility ecosystem but also driving collaborative upgrades across the upstream supply chain. For the fastener industry, this represents both opportunity and challenge. Companies must keep pace with autonomous driving technology iteration, strengthen collaborative R&D with vehicle manufacturers and core component suppliers, and optimize product performance and adaptability. As L3/L4 autonomous driving gradually deploys, fasteners will become an important part of the autonomous driving safety system, playing a key role in ensuring vehicle reliability and promoting autonomous driving adoption, achieving a value leap from basic components to core safety parts.