Intel Expands into Automotive Chips and Aims to Integrate AI PCs into Next-Gen Vehicles

Intel Expands into Automotive Chips and Aims to Integrate AI PCs into Next-Gen Vehicles

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Meanwhile, Intel has acquired Silicon Mobility SAS, a company that focuses on automotive silicon and software for electric vehicle (EV) energy management. Silicon Mobility’s technology offers advanced energy efficiency through specialized accelerators and software algorithms. This move will help Intel expand its reach in the automotive sector beyond high-performance computing to include intelligent power devices.

At CES 2024, Intel demonstrated its ambition to shape the future of automotive intelligence with AI-driven innovations. The company introduced its first-generation Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) system-on-chip (SoC), designed to incorporate AI experiences into next-gen vehicles and give developers control over the car’s processing capabilities. This move signifies a major milestone in Intel’s goal to embed AI into all aspects of life, starting with the automotive industry.

Intel aims to offer SoC customers the flexibility to customize chips using chiplets, allowing them to mix and match based on their specific needs. This innovative approach is geared towards improving sustainability, as modern vehicle batteries are both heavy and costly. By leveraging its extensive experience, Intel hopes to drive the automotive sector towards a more scalable and sustainable future.

The SDV SoCs mark a significant step in providing the power, scalability, and AI-driven performance that automakers need. These chips will enhance various in-vehicle AI applications. Zeekr, an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, is set to be the first to adopt Intel’s new SDV SoC in their upcoming models, aiming to improve the in-car experience with advanced AI features.

Intel has also announced a collaboration with SAE International to establish standards for EV platform power management, drawing on its expertise in PC energy management. This initiative seeks to create a more sustainable all-electric future and help carmakers scale their offerings.

Additionally, Intel is pioneering an open automotive chiplet platform to challenge the current closed solutions. By collaborating with Imec, Intel plans to advance chiplet packaging technologies and enable the integration of customer-specific chiplets into its automotive products.

The CES presentation showcased the potential of Intel’s AI PC technology in vehicles, demonstrating multiple advanced workloads simultaneously, such as generative AI and high-definition video conferencing. This technology aims to consolidate various electronic control units (ECUs) in cars, leading to greater efficiency and scalability.

Although Intel is relatively new to the connected car market, it believes its open, hybrid AI-enabled chiplet platform will enhance efficiency, sustainability, and the global supply chain. This approach provides an advantage as automakers accelerate development cycles, allowing for quicker redesigns and vendor changes, which can benefit companies like Intel.

Intel plans to start commercial shipments of its first-generation AI software-defined vehicle system by the end of 2024, with Zeekr being the initial customer.