Samsung Electronics is gearing up for the release of its first chipset for the automotive industry, according to industry sources cited earlier this week by Korean media outlets. The silicon is currently being referred to as Exynos Auto and Samsung aims to first supply it to one of its existing partners in the automotive industry, namely Audi. To be precise, this solution is not meant for self-driving cars but instead, Exynos Auto will be a chipset designed specifically to power in-car infotainment systems, heads-up displays, and digital dashboards.
Samsung is no stranger to the automotive world, as the company and its subsidiaries have supplied the car industry with a wide variety of components, including batteries for electric cars. Back in 2015 the tech giant also entered a partnership with Audi, and in January of 2016 Samsung supplied the aforementioned carmaker with chipsets derived from its smartphone business. But unlike these modified smartphone processors, Exynos Auto will be designed specifically for vehicles, promising improved efficiency and performance, as well as integration with artificial intelligence. Reportedly, the platform will also receive an LTE addition to provide Internet connectivity in the car, though no other details pertaining to future 5G network technologies were revealed. In any case, Samsung reportedly intends on supplying Exynos Auto to Audi first and foremost, but no other potential partners were mentioned. Meanwhile, Audi had mostly relied on silicon supplied by Qualcomm, so in other words, the US-based chipmaker might lose one of its clients in the automotive industry in the wake of Samsung’s in-house solution. As far as availability is concerned, Samsung reportedly aims to be ready for mass manufacturing Exynos Auto before the end of the year, so it is possible that some of Audi’s 2019 models might make use of the Korean tech giant’s upcoming chipset.
Samsung is also invested in the self-driving car business, and earlier this year at CES the tech giant unveiled its new hardware and software self-driving platform called DRVLINE, designed to give connected car manufacturers a flexible and customizable platform. Again at CES 2018, HARMAN and its parent company Samsung Electronics showcased QLED Auto, a digital cockpit platform based on Samsung’s QLED display technology, and coupled with the company’s intelligent assistant Bixby.