[Bloomberg] Tesla Shifts to Intel From Nvidia for Infotainment

[Arachnotronic]

The giant information and entertainment screens in Tesla Inc.’s cars will be powered by new components from Intel Corp. after the automaker replaced chip supplier Nvidia Corp. for that function, according to people familiar with its plans.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...o-shift-to-intel-from-nvidia-for-infotainment

Wonder if this will be Atom based (Apollo Lake?) or Core-based.

 

[sandorski]

Having an Atom Notebook PC, I would hope it was Core based.

 

[NTMBK]

Wow, what did Jensen do to piss off Elon?

 

[moinmoin]

So AMD for the cars' AI and Intel for their giant information and entertainment screens?

 

[VirtualLarry]

So AMD for the cars' AI and Intel for their giant information and entertainment screens?

When Nvidia is in both businesses, and could have been a "one-stop shop" for Tesla? I agree, someone pissed off somebody.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I doubt there's any real drama in it. Profits and business goals drive these things.

 

[imported_bman]

Model S was long in need of a upgrade to its infotainment CPU, seem like the perfect application for Intel's Compute Card.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Model S was long in need of a upgrade to its infotainment CPU, seem like the perfect application for Intel's Compute Card.

Looks like a good application for the Apollo Lake Atom. Should be a very big upgrade from the Tegra 3.

 

[thesmokingman]

When Nvidia is in both businesses, and could have been a "one-stop shop" for Tesla? I agree, someone pissed off somebody.

Hmm, probably more to do with their VP of Autopilot Hardware.

And on that topic, their jump to Intel could be only temporary... given what they've been brewing.

 

[CHADBOGA]

I wouldn't be surprised if Intel ends up fabbing an ARM chip for Tesla to use here.

 

[ao_ika_red]

Looks like a good application for the Apollo Lake Atom. Should be a very big upgrade from the Tegra 3.

Apollo Lake with higher TDP (to sustain its dismal boost) should be enough for "smart" car. As long as they don't do Blender in their car, it should be fine.

 

[aigomorla]

Oh so they discovered that if you have the intel inside sticker, the car becomes faster?

 

[swilli89]

I doubt there's any real drama in it. Profits and business goals drive these things.

Exactly. Just like Apple basically ruining an entire company just so they could shave a minuscule cost off their iGPU. NV is fast becoming the technology leader for these kinds of apps so I am sure they want to charge a premium. Elon and Co. probably figured they could get 90% the performance for much cheaper from Intel.

 

[coercitiv]

Oh so they discovered that if you have the intel inside sticker, the car becomes faster?

The car becomes faster due to AMD AI, the Intel chip is for entertainment. Good entertainment shortens travel time though, so it may still be true.

 

[Lodix]

I wouldn't be surprised if Intel ends up fabbing an ARM chip for Tesla to use here.

I was thinking the same. The could be using the new ARMv8.2.

 

[Nothingness]

Looks like a good application for the Apollo Lake Atom. Should be a very big upgrade from the Tegra 3.

Some ARM-based SoC are definitely better than Apollo Lake.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Some ARM-based SoC are definitely better than Apollo Lake.

For sure. But Apollo Lake is definitely good enough for what Tesla apparently wants to use it for. Goldmont & Gen9 are reasonably quick, the SoC should be reasonably efficient, and I wouldn't be surprised if Intel is giving Tesla a good deal on the parts to boot.

Intel is really serious about its IoT/embedded biz and wants to signal to Wall St. that it is too, and this is exactly the kind of high-profile design win with which to achieve that goal.

 

[moinmoin]

Exactly. Just like Apple basically ruining an entire company just so they could shave a minuscule cost off their iGPU. NV is fast becoming the technology leader for these kinds of apps so I am sure they want to charge a premium. Elon and Co. probably figured they could get 90% the performance for much cheaper from Intel.

For AI it's about control and integration. Nvidia may become the technology leader, but it's Nvidia then not Tesla, and Tesla apparently prefers to have its own solutions not available to competitors. Like Apple.

Since they picked AMD semi custom for AI I'm honestly not sure what role Intel is really going to play there. Driving information and entertainment screens, however giant they are, doesn't sound like a huge design win to me.

 

[Nothingness]

For sure. But Apollo Lake is definitely good enough for what Tesla apparently wants to use it for. Goldmont & Gen9 are reasonably quick, the SoC should be reasonably efficient, and I wouldn't be surprised if Intel is giving Tesla a good deal on the parts to boot.

Intel is really serious about its IoT/embedded biz and wants to signal to Wall St. that it is too, and this is exactly the kind of high-profile design win with which to achieve that goal.

Yeah, they perhaps made an offer Tesla could not refuse, contra-revenue strikes back. After all the chip ends in a tablet like screen

I find it odd they would have Jim Keller on board only to buy already existing solutions. Or perhaps is he focusing on chips for other duties than the infotainment.

 

[Jan Olšan]

The car becomes faster due to AMD AI, the Intel chip is for entertainment. Good entertainment shortens travel time though, so it may still be true.

Nah, it's going to be the infotainment system that plays the fake exhaust noise in the cabin.

 

[dark zero]

Hope they resurrect Atom with that...

 

[moinmoin]

Hope they resurrect Atom with that...

Atom never went away? (Unless you mean as a brand.)

 

[NTMBK]

Audi are the next to ditch NVidia: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1375...-to-power-audis-invehicle-infotainment-system

 

[DrMrLordX]

Weird. Wonder why so many automakers are dumping NV.

Also I would imagine that Tesla would be more interested in Gemini Lake/Goldmont+ or Tremont. Apollo Lake is already old hat. No reason to use it.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Weird. Wonder why so many automakers are dumping NV.

Also I would imagine that Tesla would be more interested in Gemini Lake/Goldmont+ or Tremont. Apollo Lake is already old hat. No reason to use it.

The embedded market is slow and design wins that you see in the market today have been in the pipeline for a long time. And those designs will continue to sell for many many years after the initial launch.