Artificial intelligence (AI) chip startups Tenstorrent based in Canada and BOS Semiconductors from South Korea founded by Hyundai Motor Group on Thursday heralded the launch of both cutting edge chips designed for use in automotive infotainment and autonomous driving.
The collaboration is a major step forward in automotive technology meant to meet the increasing need for high performance chips as vehicles become 'computers on wheels.' The chips are meant to run the tough workloads necessary for features of driver assistance and other advanced infotainment systems.
The new products, described as industry’s first 'automotive chiplet AI accelerator', will be called 'Eagle N' and are set for production in late 2026, Park Jae hong, founder of BOS Semiconductors, said, as quoted by South Korean media.
In the chiplet design, modular components, such as LEGO blocks, are used, so that automakers can easily customise and upgrade certain functionalities without completely replacing the entire system. Park said this design reduces costs and increases the flexibility of manufacturers.
Private talks are underway with unnamed German automakers about BOS Semiconductors supplying these chips in premium vehicles, according to Reuters. All of the chips will be made using Samsung Electronics' advanced 5nm process technology, a leading edge manufacturing process technology that maximises performance and efficiency.
It places BOS and Tenstorrent as challengers to established players such as Qualcomm in the early days of new automotive AI chip market. 'Partnering with BMW and Audi is a game changer for us', says Park, who previously worked on chip designs for Samsung in the production of details for companies like Apple and Tesla.
Chip designer Jim Keller, who ‘invented‘ PowerVR, the hugely successful graphics core at Imagination, and who led the efforts on Tesla’s many drive projects, has seen his firm attract backers such as Hyundai Motor Group, Samsung and Jeff Bezos’ family office: tenstorrent.
A symbol of a key shift in innovation redefining the future of smart mobility, the Tenstorrent-BOS collaboration highlights that automotive industry is moving away from using AI driven technologies and focusing on custom chips with growing significance.