Intel releases new chip for software-defined vehicles at CES

Intel Corp. unveiled a new chip Tuesday at CES, its first designed specifically for software-defined vehicles.

It also announced a deal to acquire Silicon Mobility, a company that designs EV energy management chips.

A company demonstration illustrated 12 advanced tasks, including high-definition video conferencing, gaming and generative artificial intelligence, all running at the same time across multiple operating systems on a chip.

Intel said its new platform allows automakers to run complex vehicle operations across a single architecture.

Such a design improves efficiency and scalability while maintaining flexibility and allowing automakers to run different operating systems for different tasks, the company said.

Intel said that the system-on-chip has hardware separation between features, which also offers a safety benefit when automakers run tasks with different levels of importance. Onboard diagnostic warnings, for example, can run separately from infotainment.

Consumers "want a car that's got the latest and greatest tech, and there are new entrants in the automotive industry that are showing it is possible," said Jack Weast, vice president of Intel Automotive. "Frankly, that's what's needed to bring the automotive industry beyond what is a 40-, 50-year-old architecture."

Zeekr, a Chinese brand, will be the first automaker to use the new software-defined vehicle system in next-generation vehicles. Intel said the technology will be ready for commercial deployment by the end of this year.

Intel also announced that automakers will be able to integrate their own "chiplets," one of the miniature circuits on a chip, onto the software-defined vehicle system-on-chip. This is the automotive technology equivalent of a custom closet – Intel will allow automakers to insert the drawers, hanging racks and other features that match their needs within certain parameters.

Weast said that the product announcements illustrate Intel's aims to solve the automotive industry's architectural challenges. With increasing vehicle complexity from electric drivetrains and AI tools comes complicated hardware planning and compatibility. Intel said automakers explained that existing systems were not efficient, did not have the right separation of workloads and did not have the right flexibility.

The open chiplet platform will allow automakers to use capabilities from different partners and not be locked into one company's solution or be forced to build a custom system from the ground up. Intel will work with Imec, a nanoelectronics and digital technologies R&D  organization, to make sure that the chiplet platform meets automotive standards.

Existing architecture also did not have the right silicon features for the separation of workloads, particularly for features related to safety, Weast said. Automakers want the efficiency of a more streamlined system but some hardware firewall to protect critical workloads, and Intel's new products claim to do both.

Intel also said that it will chair a new SAE International Committee to create a standard for vehicle platform power management. It plans to deliver its first draft standard sometime next year.

The Silicon Mobilty acquisition would also give Intel a bigger position in the automotive sector. 

Silicon Mobility’s chips use accelerators for energy delivery and algorithms that are aimed at distributing energy more efficiently.

The industry can expect a “30 to 40 percent energy efficiency gain with an optimized vehicle platform” that actively manages energy distribution, Weast said. 

That increased efficiency could translate to smaller batteries or batteries of the same size with more range in electric vehicles, he said.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.