Internal combustion engine with auto-ignition

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine having a fuel injection, in which a combustion air and a first amount of fuel is supplied in such a manner that a homogeneous lean base mix is ​​formed in the combustion chamber, wherein in a region of a top dead center of the piston a second amount of fuel into the combustion chamber is introduced such that an ignitable mixture cloud is formed in the region of an ignition source within the homogenous lean basic mixture, and the mixture cloud formed by the second fuel quantity is ignited by the ignition source, so that the present in the combustion chamber lean homogeneous basic mixture by the combustion of the the second amount of fuel mixture cloud formed is made subsequently to a self-ignition.