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Tesla is working on next-generation hardware, HW4, which could be used for the new 4D FSD currently under development. The manufacturer will partner with Samsung to develop a new 5-nanometer chip, according to industry sources.
Currently, the Tesla team is working to move to a more sophisticated AI framework that will improve the capabilities of Autopilot. Asia E reports that Samsung is currently researching and developing 5nm chips to power Tesla's autonomous vehicles. The 5nm chip is a high-tech product that only a small number of companies worldwide can manufacture.
Samsung is currently supplying 14nm chips to Tesla, but this time the two companies are expanding their partnership. The in-vehicle infotainment system (IVI) uses a variety of chips such as processors, neural network processors (NPUs), security integrated circuits, memory, and display driver IC (DDI). Ultimately, it is considered a core technology that allows a vehicle to achieve full self-driving by processing information from sensors, lighting, and communication in the vehicle and transmitting it to a screen. Tesla plans to further modernize the IVI, so Samsung is currently focusing on developments in this direction.
In August 2020, rumors surfaced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. had reportedly indicated that the new high performance computing (HPC) chip, jointly developed by global chip design leader Broadcom and electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, would be crafted using TSMC's advanced 7nm process, and integrated with TSMC. According to the company, production was expected to begin in Q4 2020, with an initial production of about 2,000 chips that would be used for testing. It was expected that the mass production of chips will begin no earlier than Q4 2021.
However, Samsung is determined enough to skip the 7nm chip research and development, and immediately begin developing the 5nm chip. If the company succeeds in doing this, then Samsung can strike a supply deal with Tesla, and become the leader in the production of 5nm chips.
© 2021, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
