Elon Musk made an unannounced trip to Beijing on Sunday, where he is expected to meet with government officials to discuss the introduction of self-driving software for Tesla. According to Reuters, an anonymous source stated that Musk will also seek permission to move data outside of China during his visit.
During a meeting with Premier Li Qiang, Musk was congratulated on Tesla’s growth in China, with the Premier noting that it could serve as a successful example of economic and trade cooperation between the US and China. The introduction of Full Self-Driving, or FSD, software in China would be a significant milestone for Tesla as they compete with local electric car manufacturers.
While Tesla introduced an autonomous version of Autopilot technology four years ago, it has yet to bring this technology to China. However, Musk recently stated on social media that Tesla may bring FSD to China in the near future. Data transfer outside of China is critical for training Tesla’s algorithms for self-driving capabilities, with Tesla having kept data collected in China on servers in Beijing and not sending it to the US since 2021 to comply with Chinese regulations.
Tesla’s growth in China has been impressive and has served as an example of economic and trade cooperation between the US and China. During his visit, Musk met with government officials and discussed the possibility of introducing self-driving software for Tesla in the country. This would be a significant milestone for Tesla as they compete with local electric car manufacturers.
The introduction of Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology is critical for Tesla’s success in the market, but data transfer outside of China is necessary for training their algorithms for self-driving capabilities. Since 2021, Tesla has kept data collected in China on servers in Beijing and not sent it to the US due to compliance with Chinese regulations. However, this may change soon as Musk plans to seek permission from government officials during his visit