China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has officially debunked viral reports claiming that a new regulation requiring a 70% domestic autonomous rate for intelligent driving chips had taken effect on July 1. The rumors, which spread rapidly across social media platforms, suggested that any new energy vehicle (NEV) failing to meet this threshold would be barred from production, declaration, and registration. The China Internet Joint Rumor-Busting Platform confirmed that no such 'Technical Specification for Automotive-Grade AI Chips' has been issued by the MIIT or the State Administration for Market Regulation.
The widespread circulation of this misinformation highlights a sensitive nerve in China’s automotive industry: the frantic push for semiconductor self-reliance. As Western sanctions continue to restrict access to high-end silicon, the narrative that Beijing would force a 'hard pivot' toward domestic suppliers like Horizon Robotics or Huawei has gained significant psychological traction among investors and manufacturers. The rumor specifically targeted the critical 'all-link' autonomous driving stack, implying a level of vertical integration that the Chinese domestic chip industry is still struggling to achieve at scale.
While the specific 70% mandate is a fabrication, the underlying trend of 'de-risking' the supply chain is grounded in reality. For several years, Chinese regulators have privately encouraged domestic automakers to increase their use of local chips, though these efforts have largely remained in the realm of non-binding guidance and 'white lists' rather than rigid legal quotas. A mandatory 70% threshold would currently be a logistical impossibility for most high-end EV manufacturers who still rely heavily on Nvidia’s Orin-X or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platforms for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
By issuing a formal denial, the MIIT is attempting to maintain a balance between promoting nationalistic industrial goals and preventing market panic. A forced, immediate decoupling from global chip leaders would likely degrade the competitiveness of Chinese EVs in the short term, potentially stalling the very industry Beijing seeks to protect. For now, the official stance remains focused on gradual, market-driven localization rather than the shock therapy suggested by the social media rumors.