Tesla Technician Junli Gu Leaves for Xiaopeng Motors

Xiaopeng Motors announced that Junli Gu, former lead technician of Tesla’s autopilot machine learning, will join Xiaopeng Motors as vice president of autopilot research and development. Gu’s new role will report directly to He Xiaopeng, the company president.

Gu will develop Xiaopeng Motors’ research and development team, lead its artificial intelligence innovation, and develop autopilot software to accelerate the development and deployment Xiaopeng Motors’ autopilot technologies.

In February 2016, Gu joined Tesla as a key member in processor architect Jim Keller’s artificial intelligence dream team . Gu was the heart of Tesla’s autopilot machine learning technology, having built its machine learning team and developed Autopilot 2.0, a technology now deployed in multiple generations of Tesla automobiles.

“Junli Gu is a world leader in machine learning. I am very happy to have Dr. Gu join Xiaopeng Motors. Our objective is to deep dive into artificial intelligence technology and achieve the seamless combination of Internet and manufacturing,” He said. “We are based in China, but we aim to be a global innovator in transportation. I look forward to seeing Dr. Gu’s talent in Xiaopeng Motors, and I want to invite more top talents to join us and enjoy a new start with Xiaopeng Motors.”

“He Xiaopeng is a model of Internet entrepreneurship. I appreciate his broad horizons and open mind, and feel honored to be invited to this company,” Gu said. “Xiaopeng Motors is a leader in Internet car manufacturing and has an excellent record. In the future, automobiles will be a smart technology product. I am looking forward to supporting Xiaopeng Motors to realize its goal of becoming the main power in China’s Internet automobile manufacturing.”

Gu is a research and development expert in machine learning, heterogeneous computing, high performance computing, and processor design. During her doctorate in Tsinghua University, she was a core technician in the development of very long instruction word digital signal processor (VLIWDSP). After her doctorate, she moved to the US to participate in research on the UIUC super computer and worked at the Google headquarters. From July 2012 to 2016, Gu was the chief engineer at AMD, where she focused on big data and the development of deep learning software.