Software company Arm has unveiled a new design for a self-driving car-friendly computer chip that it says will help the auto industry accelerate the transition to safer, more technologically advanced vehicles.
Arm is not a manufacturer, but it designs computer chip architecture that other technology companies license to manufacture specific hardware. As such, its new platform will be used as a base by automotive partners to create custom chips for use in self-driving systems. The company also plans to launch a virtual version of its chip that will allow developers to test the software before accessing the physical component.
Originally focused on mobile phone technology, Arm says that under new CEO Rene Haas, who takes over in 2022, it has turned to prioritize the automotive market. Its computer chip architecture was previously used by Nividia to design a platform for self-driving cars. Thor. Arm says it will work with high-profile partners such as Amazon Web Services to deploy new systems in the future.
Autonomous vehicles have many hurdles to overcome before mass adoption, at least to the extent that industry innovators like Elon Musk can make it a reality. New technologies, such as Arm’s chip design, could accelerate the pace at which these barriers are removed, but they are unlikely to be the magic bullet for solving self-driving problems. Dipti Vachani, senior vice president and general manager of the company’s automotive division, admitted in a statement to the Financial Times that automakers will likely need four to five years of development to implement Arm’s architecture in their models.
There are five levels of autonomous driving capabilities categorized by technical engineering organization SAE International, ranging from driver assistance to full autonomy. Only one platform has received Level 3 certification in the US, and that is Mercedes-Benz’s Drive Pilot software, which means it can operate the vehicle, with supervision, under certain conditions and will warn the driver when those conditions are not met. Alternatively, Tesla’s Self-Driving Platform (FSD) is categorized as Level 2, meaning it can operate the car in certain cases, but cannot identify when a human should take control.
Last year, General Motors-owned robotaxi company Cruise halted operations after one of its cars hit and dragged a pedestrian. That and other self-driving car accidents have raised awareness of the major challenges that must be overcome before autonomous vehicles can meet safety standards. Earlier this week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a report examining a number of self-driving or driver-assistance platforms in use in the US. Only one, the Lexus Teammate with an advanced drive system, received a passing grade. Others, including Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD, were labeled “bad.”