Chinese technology giant Xiaomi has made a significant move in the artificial intelligence space by open-sourcing MiMo-Embodied, a new foundation model designed to integrate autonomous driving and embodied AI. The launch signals the company’s deepening commitment to its strategic electric vehicle (EV) and AI initiatives.
A Unified Model for Cars and Robots
MiMo-Embodied is being described as the “first open-source vision-language model” that combines tasks from both autonomous driving and embodied AI, which involves integrating intelligent systems into physical robots.
According to the company, the cross-embodied model has achieved state-of-the-art performance in both domains. For robotics, it demonstrates superior results in task planning and spatial understanding. For autonomous driving, it excels in environmental perception, status prediction, and drive planning. Technical reports and project files have been made available on platforms like Hugging Face and GitHub to encourage global collaboration.
Strategic Hires and AI Investment
The development of MiMo-Embodied highlights Xiaomi’s heavy investment in robotics and AI, which includes the debut of a quadrupedal robot dog in 2021 and a humanoid robot in 2022.
The project team is led by Luo Fuli, a former core researcher at Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek, who was recently hired by Xiaomi. Luo stated her team is working to build a future where “intelligence will step beyond language into the physical world,” emphasizing the company’s long-term vision for AI.
Accelerating EV and AI Ambitions
While a latecomer to China’s competitive automotive market, Xiaomi has rapidly scaled production. The company recently announced that its 500,000th electric vehicle had rolled off the line at its Beijing plant, just 19 months after its first delivery.
This operational momentum is reflected in strong financial results. Xiaomi’s third-quarter revenue increased by over 22%, with its EV, AI, and new business ventures generating their first profit and recording a revenue of 29 billion yuan (US$4.1 billion), nearly triple the figure from a year earlier.
Relevance for MENA’s Tech Ecosystem
Xiaomi’s decision to open-source a powerful model like MiMo-Embodied presents a significant opportunity for the MENA region’s burgeoning tech ecosystem. For founders and developers in autonomous mobility and robotics, access to a state-of-the-art foundation model can drastically reduce development costs and accelerate innovation.
This move aligns with the ambitious goals of regional smart city projects, such as Saudi Arabia’s NEOM and Dubai’s self-driving transport strategy, which rely heavily on advanced AI. The availability of open-source tools from a major global player could empower local startups to contribute to and build upon these large-scale initiatives.
About Xiaomi
Xiaomi Corporation is a Chinese multinational electronics company founded in 2010 by Lei Jun. Initially known for its smartphones, the company has expanded its portfolio to include a wide range of consumer electronics, smart home devices, and electric vehicles. It is committed to innovation in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect users through its “Human × Car × Home” smart ecosystem.
Source: Tech in Asia
