In the footsteps of Apple and Tesla: Volkswagen will develop its own chips for self-driving cars


German auto giant Volkswagen does not want to use universal chips from other companies in its self-driving cars. Instead, he intends to develop his own microcircuits, as told by Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess in an interview with the business publication Handelsblatt.

Diess said his company wants to design and develop its own high-performance chips for self-driving cars, coupled with the necessary software. True, the auto giant is not going to turn into a semiconductor manufacturer. He will entrust the production of his chips to an experienced chipmaker, similar to how Apple orders its own A- and M-series chips from Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC.

“To achieve optimal performance and meet the high demands placed on the market for modern cars, software and hardware must be created with the same hands,” said the head of Volkswagen.

This approach, according to Disse, will allow Volkswagen to become a more flexible and tech-savvy brand. He did not hide that he was inspired by the example of Apple and Tesla. As you know, at the very beginning Tesla used standard NVIDIA solutions in its electric vehicles, but then switched to chips of its own design, which gave Elon Musk’s company more opportunities for the development of Full Self-Driving and Autopilot autonomous driving systems. This approach allows Tesla to develop and implement new features faster than the competition.

“Apple and Tesla are both highly competent in semiconductor design,” said Herbert Diess.

However, since Volkswagen is going to entrust the release of its chips to a contract manufacturer, the company may face a serious problem. We are talking about a shortage of semiconductors due to the rapidly growing demand, which has already affected the automotive industry and the electronics market.

The news is supplemented …

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