By Junko Yoshida

What’s at stake?  ‌
‌Ambarella’s acquisition of Oculii brings the vision processor company a suite of radar perception algorithms. If Ambarella succeeds in executing vision-plus-radar sensor fusion in a single system-on-chip (SoC), it could raise the bar —  and industry expectations — on what a vision chip can do. That, in turn, raises questions about where in the vehicle sensor fusion should take place and who ultimately “owns” the sensor fusion stack.   

By Junko Yoshida

Early industry speculation, since debunked, was that Apple was making manufacturing deals with Hyundai and Kia. Earlier this year, Korea Times reported an Apple deal with “a joint venture of LG and Magna.” A report this month from Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper, however, says that Apple may go it alone.

Veteran auto industry observers put Magna high on the “likely” list. Automotive industry analyst Egil Juliussen called Magna “the most competent manufacturer” of vehicles but speculated that Apple “might recruit several different manufacturers.”

By Junko Yoshida

Batteries are “by far the most expensive part of BEVs,” automotive industry analyst Egil Juliussen noted. “Supply chains are tricky.”

The big hitch in EV batteries is that there’s “so much new tech, new battery manufacturing, potential supply chain upheaval,” he said. However, he believes, “Apple will have a backup plan via China connections if the better technologies are not ready in time.”

By Junko Yoshida

Debates over the safety of autonomous vehicles boil down to one simple question: Is a machine driver safer than a human being?

Beliefs and convictions abound among both experts and lay people on the topic of robocars. Yet, today, no regulators, no carmakers, no AV startups, and no industry organizations appear ready to answer the $64 billion question with certainty.

by Bolaji Ojo

Intel Corp. and GlobalFoundries do not belong together. If there is any truth to the recent Wall Street Journal report that Intel is considering purchasing the contract chipmaker, the board of directors should snuff the life out of that bizarre idea. That’s because Intel’s long-term success lies in the opposite direction.
Rather than lead the consolidation of the foundry market, Intel should take the bolder step of spinning off Intel Foundry within the next year, freeing the foundry business to service customers across the globe and evolve to become a more competitive rival to market leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC).

A spinoff of Intel Foundry as an independent, publicly traded company has numerous attractions. The new enterprise would be able to raise the billions of dollars it needs to fund new fabs, expand operations globally, catch up to TSMC in next-generation process technology, and, critically, attract more customers. Data generated from customers across multiple markets is one of the secrets behind TSMC’s success. The information provided by customers has fueled innovations in manufacturing as well as process technology. This is sorely lacking at Intel Foundry, which has principally served the parent company and a handful of external customers.