Photo: edited by autoevolution
As Tesla prepares to launch the Model 3 onto the world, the Palo Alto-based manufacturer is believed to have signed an agreement with Samsung. Sources close to the deal hint toward supplying system on chips for self-driving vehicles.
As per The Investor and a handful of other South Korean publications, Tesla and Samsung have refused to comment on the subject. But then again, it should be noted that Samsung is in cahoots with Audi to develop automotive chips, so there’s a significant possibility Tesla has jumped on the bandwagon as well.
According to the cited publication, “sources said Samsung will design and produce the chips tailored to Tesla’s specific demands, calling it a long-term project that would take some three years for the chip production to start.” In other words, the Tesla Autopilot and associated systems of the all-new Model 3 won’t depend on Samsung’s System on Chip (Soc) know-how, at least not for a little while.
After acquiring Harman International Industries for many billions of dollars, the next logical move for Samsung is a push in the automotive industry with its semiconductors. What’s more, application-specific integrated circuit systems is a foolproof way to generate new revenue streams for the Korean company, whose smartphone division took a hard hit from the scandalous Note 7 battery saga.
On that note, it’s worth mentioning that Tesla hired Jim Keller earlier this year. Keller was the lead architect for the AMD K8 microarchitecture and Apple A4/A5 processors. Currently the vice president of Autopilot Hardware Engineering, it is very likely that Keller is crucial to the automaker’s wish to produce SAE Level 5 autonomous vehicles.
In related news, Samsung is currently giving it all on developing a new flagship phone in the form of the Galaxy S8. Tesla, meanwhile, got the OK from Fremont’s authorities to expand its plant from 5.3 to 9.9 million square feet. The Gigafactory in Nevada is also in the middle of adding 1,000 new workers through the first half of 2017.
According to the cited publication, “sources said Samsung will design and produce the chips tailored to Tesla’s specific demands, calling it a long-term project that would take some three years for the chip production to start.” In other words, the Tesla Autopilot and associated systems of the all-new Model 3 won’t depend on Samsung’s System on Chip (Soc) know-how, at least not for a little while.
After acquiring Harman International Industries for many billions of dollars, the next logical move for Samsung is a push in the automotive industry with its semiconductors. What’s more, application-specific integrated circuit systems is a foolproof way to generate new revenue streams for the Korean company, whose smartphone division took a hard hit from the scandalous Note 7 battery saga.
On that note, it’s worth mentioning that Tesla hired Jim Keller earlier this year. Keller was the lead architect for the AMD K8 microarchitecture and Apple A4/A5 processors. Currently the vice president of Autopilot Hardware Engineering, it is very likely that Keller is crucial to the automaker’s wish to produce SAE Level 5 autonomous vehicles.
In related news, Samsung is currently giving it all on developing a new flagship phone in the form of the Galaxy S8. Tesla, meanwhile, got the OK from Fremont’s authorities to expand its plant from 5.3 to 9.9 million square feet. The Gigafactory in Nevada is also in the middle of adding 1,000 new workers through the first half of 2017.
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