Founded in Shanghai by David Li, Sun Kai, and Xiang Shaoqing (ex-Stanford/UIUC). Initially focused on industrial laser sensors (gas leak detection); pivoted to lidar for self-driving cars in 2016 starting with the Pandar40.

Pandar40 mechanical lidar shipped to robotaxi developers; first robotaxi-grade Chinese lidar and the sensor that would drive Hesai's early traction with Baidu Apollo, AutoX, WeRide.

Won Baidu Apollo lidar supply contract: first major robotaxi platform design win, validated Hesai's Pandar against US incumbents (Velodyne, Ouster).

Launched AT128: automotive-grade hybrid solid-state lidar (128 channels, 200m range, $1K BOM target). Became China's top-shipping ADAS lidar starting H2 2022 with Li Auto, Lotus, Jiyue, Zeekr design wins.

Volume shipment of AT128 ADAS lidar begins: 60K+ units shipped in H2 2022. First mass-market mechanical-rotation alternative; lower cost than Velodyne and Innoviz.

Cumulative 100K lidar units shipped: first global vehicle-lidar firm to hit milestone. Closed 2022 as #1 by revenue worldwide, ahead of Velodyne (which would merge with Ouster in 2023).

Nasdaq IPO Feb 9 2023: opened at $23.75 (+25% from $19 IPO price) at $2.98B market cap. Largest US-listed Chinese IPO since DiDi Jul 2021; first Chinese lidar maker public in US.

Cumulative lidar deliveries surpass 300K: first vehicle-lidar firm to hit the milestone. Confirmed market dominance with ~50% of global ADAS lidar shipments.

AT512 ultra-long-range ADAS lidar unveiled at CES 2024: 12.3M points/sec, 400m range. Targeted L3+/L4 highway and trucking applications competing with Luminar Iris.

AT128 selected as primary lidar for DiDi-GAC Aion's first L4 mass-production robotaxi: 10 units per vehicle, anchor program for Hesai's 2025 robotaxi vertical.

Four AT128 sensors adopted across Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxi lineup: anchor 1,000-vehicle commitment for 2026; Hesai's largest single robotaxi customer order.

BYD partnership scaled: 10+ lidar-equipped models entering 2026 mass production. Anchor customer for ATX series (lower-cost variant).

Cumulative shipments crossed 1M units: industry first for vehicle-grade lidar. Maintained ~50% global share by units; gross margin expanded to 42% on AT128 scale.