Does the heart of autonomous vehicles belong to Intel?

Intel’s computer chip manufacturing and marketing is amazing. When reading the name, we are can hear the iconic four tones in our head. The company entered too late into the mobile business industry.

The market for autonomous cars is increasing and the chip maker company is once again striking out on a new venture. Intel will be able to enter the market in its early stage unlike the mobile phone industry.

Intel started its autonomous road map by acquiring the vision-based-driver-assistance company called Mobileye back in March. This acquisition allowed Intel to inherit the company’s existing relationship with 25 automotive partners making it a worthwhile purchase.

At the launch of the Silicon Valley Innovation Center for Autonomous Driving, Intel, along with BMW showed off the first highly automated vehicles the companies will be testing. For Intel, a company that's been serious about autonomous driving for only about nine months working with the German automaker is huge.

While getting into the auto game is clearly an opportunity for Intel, it's easy to surmise that the end goal is to sell more silicon. Really the only thing Intel needs to do is build up its AI technology. It won't be too difficult to start getting chips ready for the new autonomous vehicle division.


Intel may have been late to mobile and missed out on a huge business, but autonomous driving still has ways to go before any of us will be chauffeured around town by our cars. If Intel can stick with it and pull this off, it won't feel left behind, and it may actually be able to boast that self-driving cars have Intel inside.


- Andrew

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