공지 • Apr 21
Hesai Technology Unveils Picasso 6D Full-Color SPAD-SoC, Next-Gen ETX , and Kosmo Spatial Intelligence AI Hardware Platform
Hesai Technology announced a strategic shift to spatial intelligence, introducing Kosmo, a new spatial intelligence AI hardware platform, alongside robotic actuation modules and innovations for the Physical AI era. Hesai Technology hosted its 2026 Technology Open Day on April 17, showcasing its latest generation of lidar technologies spanning full-color perception, ultra-high-resolution imaging, and spatial intelligence applications. A key highlight was Picasso, the world's first 6D full-color ultra-sensitive lidar SPAD-SoC, enabling native fusion of spatial and color perception at the ASIC level. Built on this platform, Hesai Technology's ETX lidar series has been upgraded to support up to 4,320 channels and is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2026. Picasso, Hesai Technology's fifth-generation 6D full-color ultra-sensitive lidar ASIC platform, is designed to enable vehicles to see both geometry and color natively on a single chip. Unlike conventional lidar systems that capture only geometric information such as XYZ, Picasso integrates RGB sensing and time-of-flight (ToF) ranging at the chip-level, enabling the direct generation of colorized point clouds without the need for complex sensor fusion. This 6D full-color capability delivers precise spatial and temporal alignment, resulting in richer environmental understanding and significantly enhancing the perception capabilities of next-generation autonomous systems. With photon detection efficiency (PDE) exceeding 40%, Picasso delivers industry-leading sensitivity, enabling stronger long-range performance, better detection of small objects, and improved performance in low-light environments within the same power envelope. Rather than simply combining camera imagery with lidar point clouds, Picasso enables true ASIC-level fusion, with each point inherently carrying color information. This allows autonomous systems to move from spatial perception to real-time understanding of the driving environment, improving performance in different scenarios such as traffic signals, lane markings, and construction zones. The introduction of Picasso marks a major step in lidar development, moving beyond incremental improvements in resolution toward a new generation of full-color perception. This breakthrough is supported by Hesai Technology's long-term vertical integration strategy and in-house development across core lidar technologies. Following the launch of Fermi C500, a RISC-V-based high-performance lidar controller SoC that integrates MCU, FPGA functions, and ADC into a single chip, the company has established full-stack in-house ASIC development capabilities. This technology foundation has already translated into large-scale commercialization, with Hesai Technology's upgraded ATX lidar achieving full-scale mass production and securing over 6 million units in orders from OEMs. Hesai Technology is the only lidar company in the world to develop all seven core components in-house, including its laser transmitter, receiver, driver, TIA, ADC, digital signal processor, and controller. To date, 21 of its in-house designs have achieved AEC-Q automotive-grade certification, with cumulative shipments exceeding 230 million units and expected to surpass 300 million units by the end of 2026. According to global IP consultancy KnowMade, Hesai Technology ranks No.1 worldwide in both patent volume and overall patent strength, with leading positions across key device categories including SPAD/SiPM detectors, VCSEL transmitters, and APD detectors. In the SPAD/SiPM segment, Hesai Technology's patent portfolio is approximately twice that of Bosch, the second-ranked company, and up to forty times larger than that of other industry peers. As the flagship lidar platform built on the Picasso architecture, the next-generation ETX represents a major step forward in high-performance perception. Designed for L3 and above autonomous driving, it combines longer range, higher resolution, and full-color perception in a flexible architecture with 1,080, 2,160, and up to 4,320 channels. With a maximum detection range of up to 600 meters and 400 meters at 10% reflectivity, ETX delivers industry-leading performance in both range and small-object detection. It enables high-confidence identification of critical road elements at long distances, including objects as small as a 15 × 25 cm wooden block at 150 meters. Built on the Picasso platform, ETX integrates Hesai Technology's latest perception technologies to further enhance performance and reliability. These include upgraded Addressable Photon Isolation technology, advanced signal processing through the Intelligent Point Cloud Engine (IPE), and an enhanced anti-interference design, enabling more accurate signal extraction while suppressing noise and reducing false positives and false negatives compared with conventional SPAD-based approaches. ETX is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2026, with planned deployment across multiple flagship vehicle models, supporting the large-scale adoption of L3 autonomous driving systems. Hesai Technology is extending its leadership beyond automotive into robotics and embodied AI, with lidar solutions deployed across applications including delivery robots, cleaning robots, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and robotaxi platforms. Hesai Technology ranks No. 1 globally across multiple robotics lidar segments. Morgan Stanley estimates that lidar demand could reach 700 million units by 2050, driven by more than 1,400,000,000 robots. Hesai Technology has been selected by NVIDIA as a key partner for the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion 10 platform. By leveraging the standardized sensor architecture of Hyperion 10, OEMs can accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous driving systems in a safer, faster, and more scalable way. Hesai Technology has established a leading global market position. Hesai Technology's lidar solutions are enabling Physical AI applications across industries in over 40 countries worldwide.