Luxury cars could have 15 times computing power of PCs by 2010, says report
Semiconductor Business News
(01/07/02 13:34 p.m. EST)
MINNEAPOLIS--By 2010, luxury cars will use 50-to-70 microprocessors and have 12-to-15 times the computing power of today's personal computers, according to a new report from the Telematics Research Group here today.
The research group 40-to-50 microprocessors will be used in embedded control, replacing existing electronics functions and mechanical systems by the end of this decade, while emerging new telematics (information, communications and entertainment systems) will be served by five-to-10 microprocessors in luxury cars. Another 5-to-10 microprocessors will be needed for "intelligent" vehicle systems, which will automatically help avoid collisions, minimize the impact of crashes, and monitor the driving of cars for improved safety and performance.
"Over the next decade, microprocessor-based systems will replace electrical/mechanical/hydraulic systems as 'X-by-wire' systems become prevalent," said Egil Juliussen, principal technology analyst at Telematics Research Group. "These intelligent vehicle systems are just emerging, but will see strong growth in the next decade."
Based on most estimates, today's vehicles have between 15 and 30 microcontrollers or processors. Worldwide automotive chip sales approached $14 billion in 2001, according to some estimates.
Telematics systems will become the command and control systems for many new capabilities in cars, according to Telematics Research. The Minneapolis firm predicted that telematics control units will include a 32-bit RISC processor with more than 2 GHz of performance, 2 gigabytes of DRAM, and a 30-Gbyte hard disk drive. These automotive systems will also include removable media devices (such as memory cards or DVD) and will use a variety of displays.
"The automobile is in the process of becoming a sophisticated computing center, involving numerous computers and subsystems, all linked via LANs and wireless technologies," predicted Phil Magney, principal analyst at Telematics Research Group. "Technology advances are making telematics and intelligent vehicles possible through faster and more cost-effective computing platforms." |
