(Yicai Global) July 28 -- The self-driving division of Chinese handset maker Xiaomi will recruit 500 staffers to develop Level-4 autonomous driving technologies, founder Lei Jun said in his Weibo account today. 

The recruitment website for Beijing-based Xiaomi said the company is urgently seeking data center architects, self-driving engineers and product managers. 

The company announced in March it would set up a wholly owned unit to focus on the smart electric vehicle business, with investment of USD10 billion over 10 years. Lei will also be chief executive of the smart electric vehicle business. 

There have been market rumors that Lei has visited various carmakers including BYD, SAIC-GM-Wuling and Great Wall Motor recently. Another rumor said that Anhui province’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission hopes to persuade Xiaomi to locate its autos business in Hefei, Anhui’s capital. 

Editor: Tom Litting