- VPU maker relocates to Linping District amid push into robotics and low-latency AI
- Company targets “eyes” of physical AI systems across robots and drones
Vision AI chipmaker NextVPU (肇观电子) said the company has relocated its headquarters to Hangzhou’s Linping District, as it seeks to expand its role in providing edge perception hardware for robotics, drones and other physical AI systems.
The move, completed at the end of April 2026, brings the company into one of China’s fast-growing hubs for intelligent hardware, low-altitude economy applications and embodied AI development.
Deep AMD roots
NextVPU was founded by a team with deep AMD roots. Co-founder and chairman Feng Xinpeng previously served as a global chip R&D director at AMD, where he worked on or led the design of more than 50 CPU and GPU products. Co-founder Zhou Ji was AMD’s chief scientist and led its global ISP research center.
Notably, business registry records show NextVPU moved its headquarters out of Shanghai’s Pudong New Area in May 2026, where it was first incorporated.
The company’s relocation comes as the AI industry increasingly shifts from digital applications toward physical environments, where machines must process real-time visual data locally rather than rely on cloud-based inference.
NextVPU positions its visual processing unit (VPU) chips as the “eyes” of physical AI systems, handling real-time spatial perception at the edge, while large models and GPUs act as the “brain” for reasoning and planning.
Targeting over 200 applications
The company said its platform is built around a fully self-developed VPU chip architecture, paired with hardware acceleration products, an operating system called Space OS, and modular system solutions.
It claims to be one of the few domestic players capable of competing globally in the segment historically dominated by Intel.
NextVPU’s spatial intelligence platform is now deployed across more than 200 application scenarios spanning industrial automation, service robotics, smart mobility, security systems and consumer electronics, covering humanoid robots, industrial robots, robotic dogs and drones.
“Choosing to build a company in China reflects the scale of opportunity in robotics, drones and visual intelligence as a trillion-yuan industry,” Feng said.
Broader industrial policy
The relocation also aligns with China’s broader industrial policy direction.
The country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) identifies AI terminals, embodied intelligence and low-altitude economy systems as strategic priorities.
Meanwhile, Hangzhou has been building out an integrated AI manufacturing ecosystem spanning chip design to application deployment.
Linping, located at the intersection of three major Yangtze River Delta innovation corridors, has gained a reputation as a hardware-focused AI hub, underpinned by what it describes as the country’s first dedicated computing power town.
Linping’s clusters
Officials say the district now hosts more than 100 AI-related startups across computing infrastructure and algorithm development.
The industry scale now approaches 10 billion yuan ($1.48 billion), creating sustained downstream demand for low-latency vision processing chips such as those developed by NextVPU.
Hangzhou has designated AI and visual intelligence as two of its core trillion-yuan industrial clusters.
Local officials said NextVPU’s relocation strengthens the city’s position in the AI hardware stack and could help anchor the next wave of high-growth technology firms in Linping.
