Building a New Era in Automotive Chips: Bosch and Tenstorrent’s Groundbreaking Collaboration
In a move that could revolutionize the way the automotive industry uses computational power, German industrial giant Bosch has partnered with US chip startup Tenstorrent to develop a platform for standardizing the building blocks of automotive chips. The collaboration aims to streamline the creation of custom-designed silicon products, enabling automakers to reduce costs and increase the speed of bringing new products to market.
At the heart of this initiative is the concept of “chiplets,” small, standardized building blocks of modern chips that can be combined in various ways to create customized processors. By producing a large volume of standard chiplets, manufacturers can save money and enjoy greater flexibility in their design choices. According to David Bennett, Tenstorrent’s chief customer officer, “Bosch is collaborating with us to essentially redefine how automakers look at silicon – purchasing silicon and building silicon.”
The need for this innovation stems from the rapid evolution of the automotive sector, driven by the growing popularity of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and the increasing adoption of automated driving systems. Today, vehicles are no longer just complex machines but rather sophisticated computer systems that rely on powerful processing power to operate.
In an interview, Bennett highlighted the significance of the collaboration, saying, “We’re working together to redefine the way automakers look at silicon. We’re taking the building blocks of modern chips, called chiplets, and creating standard methods for using them to build custom processors. This will allow automakers to create custom solutions for their specific needs, which can be more cost-effective and efficient.”
Tenstorrent’s automotive vice president, Thaddeus Fortenberry, added, “Automakers will be able to choose the specific chiplets they need, rather than buying off-the-shelf products. This will give them more control over the design and functionality of their vehicles, which is essential as they continue to push the boundaries of electric and autonomous driving.”
With Tenstorrent’s expertise in designing chips for companies like Tesla, AMD, and Apple, and Bosch’s extensive experience in the automotive sector, this collaboration has the potential to transform the industry’s approach to silicon design and production. As the automotive landscape continues to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative solutions like this emerge, changing the way we drive and interact with our vehicles.
