TuSimple Rebrands as CreateAI

BEIJING (Reuters) – TuSimple Holdings announced that it will rebrand itself as CreateAI and shift its focus from autonomous trucking to AI gaming technology. This transition aims to facilitate a comeback for the once-prominent self-driving truck startup.

CEO Cheng Lu shared in an interview that the move towards gaming and animation represents a natural evolution of the company's capabilities, despite facing two years of setbacks and regulatory challenges.

Background
Founded in 2015, TuSimple attracted investments from major players such as Chinese internet giant Sina, Nvidia, Volkswagen, and UPS. However, the company's fortunes changed in 2022 when U.S. regulators began investigating its connections to China, leading to boardroom disputes.

Earlier this year, TuSimple announced its plan to delist from Nasdaq, which came less than three years after raising $1.35 billion in its April 2021 initial public offering.

Strategic Shift
In March, management proposed the pivot to AI gaming to the board, which approved the shift. The company has cited estimates putting the global gaming market at $200 billion in 2023, based on a business plan document sent to Reuters.

The newly formed CreateAI will concentrate on video game and anime production and publishing, utilizing its newly developed image-to-video AI model, Ruyi, for content creation.

The company currently employs 270 people worldwide, with research and content production teams in China, Japan, and the United States.