At CES, Intel introduced a comprehensive product portfolio aimed at speeding up the transition to electric and software-defined vehicles (SDVs). The new offerings include a whole-vehicle platform, combining high-performance compute, discrete graphics, artificial intelligence (AI), power management, and zonal controller solutions.
In collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Intel has co-developed the Intel® Automotive Virtual Design Environment (VDE), designed to address automakers’ challenges with cost and performance scalability, enabling more efficient SDV development and deployment.
Intel’s whole-vehicle approach optimises vehicle electrical/electronic architectures, reducing inefficiencies and driving significant cost reductions and performance improvements. This platform is further supported by the introduction of the Adaptive Control Unit (ACU), designed for electric vehicle (EV) power trains and zonal controller applications.
The ACU U310 consolidates multiple real-time, safety-critical functions into a single chip, enhancing performance and reducing cost. It is capable of handling workloads traditionally split across microcontrollers, ensuring reliable performance and improved safety. The ACU’s integration into EV powertrains helps reduce energy demand, boosting vehicle efficiency by reclaiming up to 40% of power train system energy losses.
Intel’s ACU technology has already been adopted by Stellantis Motorsports for enhanced performance in competitive racing environments, including energy recovery during braking in Formula E races. Karma Automotive also announced its support for Intel’s ACU, which will be featured in a co-branded inverter to improve efficiency.
In addition to these innovations, Intel announced the second-generation Intel® Arc™ B-series Graphics for Automotive, expected to be in production by the end of 2025. These graphics will support advanced in-vehicle AI workloads and immersive experiences, enabling scalable performance for complex AI tasks.
Intel and AWS also introduced the Intel Automotive Virtual Development Environment, a groundbreaking approach that ensures hardware and software parity from cloud to car. This solution, which integrates Intel Xeon processor-based EC2 instances and Intel’s Automotive SDV SoCs, eliminates the need for expensive simulators, accelerating innovation and reducing R&D costs.
This new approach promises to revolutionise automotive software development, speeding up time-to-market while enhancing efficiency and reducing costs for automakers.
