Samsung has announced its foray into the autonomous vehicle business by partnering with US-based semiconductor company Ambarella. Rather than producing its own self-driving systems like Xiaomi, Samsung will provide AI chips to control autonomous vehicles. Ambarella, a Tier-1 automotive supplier that started in 2004, is set to be Samsung’s first customer. The two companies aim to revolutionize the next generation of self-driving cars.
Ambarella’s technology is used in many consumer products, including GoPro, Nest Dropcam, Garmin dashcams, and DJI Phantom drones. In recent years, the company has acquired a series of automotive companies, including VisLab, a computer vision firm that provides ADAS for autonomous vehicles. Last year, Ambarella signed a partnership with Incepto Technology to develop an automotive-grade central computing platform.
See also: Continental and Ambarella Partner to Develop Self-Driving Vehicle Software and Hardware Systems
This year, Ambarella announced a partnership with Continental to focus on AI-based software and hardware systems for advanced ADAS and fully automated driving. Now, the company has partnered with Samsung to produce the latest semiconductors for this technology.
The new chip, called the CV3-AD685, is the first in the CV3-AD family of central controllers. It is based on the CVflow AI engine and is the third generation of Ambarella processors. It has ARM Cortex A78AE, R52 CPU cores, and an automotive-grade GPU. The chip is capable of handling neural network processing for 4D imaging radars and deep sensor fusion combined with path planning in ADAS. The algorithm-first architecture supports a complete software stack for Level 2+ all the way to Level 4 autonomous driving.
See also: Samsung start production new chips for electric vehicles
Ambarella chose Samsung’s 5nm process due to its optimization for automotive-grade semiconductors. Samsung is known for its tight process controls and advanced IP that helps with traceability and reliability. With this partnership, both Samsung and Ambarella aim to provide the best components for safe autonomous cars, making the future of driving safer and more efficient.
