Li Auto makes proprietary Halo OS automotive operating system open-source

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On March 27, the 2025 ZGC Forum Annual Conference opened in Beijing. Li Xiang, Chairman and CEO of Li Auto, attended the forum and delivered a speech, announcing that Li Auto has become the world's first automaker to open-source its vehicle operating system, Halo OS, which he claims to surpass the industry's leading proprietary AUTOSAR system in overall performance.  

Photo credit: Li Auto

In response to the global chip shortage in 2020 and challenges posed by closed-source operating systems in chip adaptation and validation, Li Auto launched its in-house OS development project in 2021, investing a 200-person R&D team and over 1 billion yuan. The company completed solution selection, architecture design, and implementation, with the first version mass-produced and deployed onto vehicles in 2024.  

Compared to traditional AUTOSAR systems still used by many automakers, Halo OS excels in core performance, security, cost efficiency, adaptability, and flexibility, said Li Auto. Its innovative cross-system architecture enhances processing power, enabling full-link optimization across control systems. The OS reduces perception-decision-execution time, doubling response speed and improving stability fivefold.  

Photo credit: Li Auto

Halo OS also significantly lowers costs by integrating self-developed automotive virtualization and heterogeneous system frameworks, achieving AI computing power sharing and hardware resource allocation. This results in an 80% reduction in AI virtualization performance loss, a 90% decrease in sensor access latency, and a 30% reduction in storage resource consumption. According to Li Auto, the system is expected to save billions in material costs annually while improving vehicle configurations and user experience.  

Halo OS will begin its phased open-source release in late April, including key components such as vehicle control, intelligent driving, communication middleware, and a virtualization platform. Li Auto invites global developers to participate in system optimization and ecosystem development.