science

Momenta

Momenta is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Momenta rather than just read about it. In short: Momenta Global Limited (shortened to Momenta) is a developer of intelligent driving technologies, based in Beijing and Suzhou, China. History Momenta was founded in September 2016 led by Cao Xudong, a former scientist at Microsoft Research and former executive director of research and development at Chinese deep-learning and computer vision company SenseTime.

Key takeaways

Momenta belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Momenta to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Momenta from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Momenta Global Limited (shortened to Momenta) is a developer of intelligent driving technologies, based in Beijing and Suzhou, China.

History Momenta was founded in September 2016 led by Cao Xudong, a former scientist at Microsoft Research and former executive director of research and development at Chinese deep-learning and computer vision company SenseTime. In 2017, Daimler (now Mercedes-Benz Group) invested in Momenta, the automaker's first investment in a Chinese startup. Momenta became the first Chinese unicorn specializing in self-driving cars after investors valued the company at more than $1 billion in 2021. The investors included, in addition to those already mentioned, General Motors (GM), IDG Capital, GGV Capital, Blue Lake Capital, Shunwei Capital, and Cathay Capital. GM invested $300 million in Momenta, as was announced in 2021, with the aim to accelerate the development of self-driving cars in China. By that time, Momenta struck partnerships with SAIC Motor, Toyota, auto parts supplier Bosch, as well as Daimler, Temasek, Yunfeng Capital, and Tencent. Since 2021, SAIC Motors and Momenta have worked together on robotaxi operations in Shanghai and Suzhou. In addition to the robotaxis, Momenta is also supplying autonomous driving technology to SAIC's IM who has cars with Momenta tech currently being sold in the United Kingdom. In December 2021, Momenta and BYD established a joint venture, called DiPi Intelligent Mobility Co, located in Shenzhen, to deploy autonomous driving capabilities across certain BYD car model lines. In 2023, General Motors China received approval to conduct road tests in Shanghai for its autonomous vehicles developed in collaboration with Momenta. In 2024, additional partnerships with Nvidia and Qualcomm followed. Mercedes has a partnership with Momenta since 2024, too. In August 2024, Audi and SAIC Motor announced a joint venture in which Momenta is contributing a system for autonomous driving. In November 2024, Momenta announced partnerships with Nissan and Honda to develop advanced intelligent driving solutions based on an end-to-end intelligent driving large model. In September 2024, Momenta introduced its first end-to-end self-driving model intended for mass production. In July 2025, BMW and Momenta formed a cooperation. This cooperation includes Momenta providing driver assistance systems for BMW's entire new model lineup in China. In September 2025, Momenta announced that it would enter into a strategic Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) partnership with French auto component manufacturer Valeo. The company also announced a partnership with Uber to test Robotaxis, in Germany starting in 2026. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz announced Momenta would be equipping their fully electric CLA model with a driver assistance system, which would be on Chinese streets starting in autumn 2025. In December 2025, Momenta partnered with Mercedes-Benz Group to deploy self-driving cars for Lumo Mobility in Abu Dhabi. On 18 December 2025, Momenta announced that it would be entering into a strategic partnership with Grab to bring autonomous driving technology to Southeast Asia. On 8 July 2026, Momenta debuted on the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing after raising approximately HK$ 5.89 billion in its IPO.

Products Momenta does not build cars itself, but sells their car software to automakers. The company works on deep learning capacities, the so-called "brains", of cars. Momenta's software is fed with large amounts of data which are needed in particular for the development of self-driving cars, so that they can achieve end-to-end intelligent driving. According to Rita Liao in TechCrunch, the company has a "two-legged approach of selling semi-automated software while investing in research for next-gen self-driving tech". In the second half of 2025, Momenta launched the Momenta Flywheel R6 based on reinforcement learning and its first batch of mass-production platform-based driverless robotaxis is expected to start trial operations in China by the end of 2025. According to Automotive World, "More than 160 OEM vehicle programs from leading global automakers are already committed to Momenta, with over 40 production models delivered and on the road."

See also Yinwang (Huawei's autonomous driving solution company) Qianli Technology (Geely's autonomous driving solution company) Zhuoyu Technology (FAW and DJI's autonomous driving solution company) DeepRoute.ai (autonomous driving solution company backed by GWM) Horizon Robotics (Chinese autonomous driving solution company)

References

External links Official Website (english)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Momenta

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Momenta claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Momenta before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Momenta ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Momenta

In research: Momenta appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Momenta in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Momenta is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2026 initial public offerings, Chinese companies established in 2016, Companies based in Beijing, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Momenta outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Momenta in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Momenta means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Momenta out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Momenta in simple terms?

Momenta Global Limited (shortened to Momenta) is a developer of intelligent driving technologies, based in Beijing and Suzhou, China. History Momenta was founded in September 2016 led by Cao Xudong, a former scientist at Microsoft Research and former executive director of research and development a…

Why does Momenta matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Momenta?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Momenta.