Shanghai gearing up for mass robotaxi expansion

Autonomous driving start-up, AutoX, has opened what's claimed to be the largest data hub for self-driving cars in China, ahead of rolling out one of the biggest fleet of robotaxis in the world.

The new 7500m2 facility dubbed the "gigafactory" is claimed to have been created to serve as one giant data centre for collecting and storing data gathered second-by-second from the 100-strong driverless vehicles.

According AutoX, virtual simulations and tests have already begun ahead of the real robotaxis hitting the streets, marking the first time they have been deployed in China on such a large scale.

Initially, the 100 self-driving, ride-hailing vehicles are only permitted to roam the city's Jiading district as part of a trial but, once deemed successful, an even larger fleet is expected to be deployed across the whole city.

AutoX's new facility also includes a calibration room to ensure every cars' array of sensors is accurate before being deployed on the road.

If calibration is needed, a vehicle is placed on a car turntable and then rotated 360 degrees to precisely test, analyse and calibrate each autonomous vehicle's LiDar, cameras and radars to ensure all the data captured on the road is accurate.

The move to deploy robotaxis instantly launches AutoX as one of the pioneers of autonomous driving.

Founded back in 2016 by former Princeton professor XIao Jianxiong, AutoX has already won investment from online retailer Alibaba and Chinese car-makers Shanghai Auto and Dongfeng Motor, among others.