第一财经

**AI Transforms the Physical World: Xidi Intelligent Driving Advances towards “Intelligent Embodiment for Heavy Vehicles”**

原文:AI改变物理世界,希迪智驾迈向“重载具身智能”

Summary of Key Highlights

At the 2026 Asia Logistics Expo, Xidi Zhijia unveiled its core achievement in "Heavy-Duty Embodied Intelligence": the launch of the industry's first V2P (Vehicle-to-Person) portable intelligent terminal, TAG. The company also signed partnerships with Proton Automobile and Yunshenzhu Technology. In simple terms, their goal is to make heavy machinery such as mining trucks and excavators more autonomous—capable of operating independently in dangerous environments and even collaborating with other machines. The product has been widely adopted, with over 20,000 units sold, and revenue grew by 115.8% in 2025 to reach 885 million yuan. Xidi Zhijia is currently expanding into global markets.

Detailed Analysis

1. **What is "Heavy-Duty Embodied Intelligence"? – Turning Heavy Machinery into Autonomous Workers

You can think of it as equipping large machines like mining trucks and rock drills with "eyes" (for sensing the environment), a "brain" (for making decisions), and "arms and legs" (for executing actions), allowing them to perform dangerous tasks without human intervention. For example, tasks like loading explosives in mines or breaking through tunnel walls, which were once prone to accidents, can now be handled by machines.

In technical terms: Heavy-Duty Embodied Intelligence = Physical AI (core technology) × Heavy Machinery (carrier) × High-Risk Operations (application scenarios). This represents a new advancement similar to how steam engines replaced human labor and computers ushered in the information age, extending human capabilities.

2. **Is the Technology Reliable? – Led by Robotics Experts, Approaching Through Three Channels**

The founder of Xidi Zhijia, Li Zexiang, is an authority in the robotics field, and the team has a solid theoretical foundation in robotics. They are focusing on three main areas:

  • Heavy-Duty Autonomous Driving: Developing unmanned mining trucks and heavy-duty trucks to address safety and efficiency issues in extreme environments (such as dust and steep slopes).
  • Embodied Intelligence for Heavy Equipment: Enabling excavators and rock drills to perform tasks, covering both surface and underground scenarios.
  • Intelligent Transportation: Upgrading ordinary vehicles with high-performance sensing technology to enhance safety and intelligence.

The technology is not developed from scratch; for instance, the control and sensing technologies used in unmanned mining trucks can be directly applied to mining robots, representing a continuous progression of related technologies.

3. **Business Model: Focusing on the "Brain" rather than Manufacturing Machines – Collaborating to Profit from Technology**

Xidi Zhijia does not produce heavy machinery but provides the "brain" for these machines, offering a technology platform that empowers other companies. The platform consists of three layers:

  • Underlying Data Engine: Collects data on environments and machinery in mining, logistics, and other sectors to create a standard database.
  • Middle Layer: Heavy-Duty World Model: A framework for machines to analyze real-time environmental changes (such as slippery roads or high dust levels) and make decisions, with the ability to learn and improve over time.
  • Top Layer: Cluster Scheduling: Coordinates the collaboration of multiple machines (e.g., unmanned mining trucks and excavators in a mine).

The advantage of this platform is its versatility; one set of technology can be adapted to different types of machinery and scenarios (e.g., from mining to infrastructure projects), resulting in lower costs and higher reusability.

4. **Is the Business Successful? – Growing Demand and Expanding Partnerships**

  • Market Adoption: Over 20,000 units have been sold, with applications in mining, logistics, and infrastructure sectors, replacing dangerous manual labor.
  • Financial Performance: Revenue in 2025 reached 885 million yuan (a 115.8% increase), with a 86.7% increase in gross profit, indicating profitability.
  • Ecosystem Partnerships: Recent collaborations include Proton Automobile (under Shaanxi Automobile Group) for unmanned heavy-duty trucks and Yunshenzhu Technology (for mining robots). Previous partnerships have included China National Materials Mining and Guangna Group for 500 unmanned mining truck orders, covering various aspects such as machine production, application scenarios, and international expansion.

5. **Great Future Potential? – A Trillion-Dollar Market with Global Opportunities**

  • Dual Drivers: Policy and Market: Policies encourage the use of automation to reduce safety risks, and the market demands AI solutions for energy-intensive industries like mining (coal mining and power generation). Heavy-Duty Embodied Intelligence fits perfectly into this context.
  • Industry Turning Point: The adoption rate of unmanned mining trucks in mines is currently low but is expected to surge soon.
  • China's Advantages: The country's strong presence in the new energy vehicle supply chain (batteries, sensors) helps reduce costs.
  • Global Expansion: Xidi Zhijia has already set up operations in resource-rich countries like Australia and Brazil and plans to expand into Africa and the Middle East, aiming to export its technology globally.

Conclusion

Xidi Zhijia's "Heavy-Duty Embodied Intelligence" technology aims to enable heavy machinery to work autonomously in dangerous environments. With a solid technical foundation and successful commercialization, along with open collaboration and global expansion strategies, this technology has the potential to significantly transform the way physical world production is conducted.