German technology company Continental has inked a strategic partnership with Ambarella, an edge AI semiconductor company at CES 2023, to jointly develop scalable, end-to-end hardware and software solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI), for assisted and automated driving (AD), on the way to autonomous mobility.
The strategic collaboration builds on Continental’s announcement in November to integrate Ambarella’s energy-efficient System-on-Chip (SoC) family into its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The company says that compared to other domain controllers SoCs, Ambarella’s ‘CV3-AD’ chip family provides higher performance to process sensor data faster and more comprehensively for greater environmental perception and safer mobility, at up to five times higher power efficiency.
The partners are combining Continental’s software and hardware expertise and broad portfolio of automotive system solutions with Ambarella’s computer vision know-how, powerful SoCs and software modules.
In addition to the development of camera-based perception solutions for ADAS, the partners are focusing on scalable full-stack systems for Level 2+ up to highly automated vehicles. These full-stack solutions will take a multi-sensor approach, including Continental’s high-resolution cameras, radars and LiDAR, as well as the associated control units and the required software.
OEMs will be able to flexibly integrate the joint system solutions into their latest vehicle generations. In EVs, the energy-efficient solutions reduce power consumption and cooling demands, contributing to a lower battery weight of several kilograms (estimated 6 pounds/2.72kg). This results in an increased average range of about 5-10 kilometres (3-6 miles) with the same battery capacity, based on a typical configuration. The partners aim to roll out these joint solutions ready for global series production in 2026.
Frank Petznick, Head of the Autonomous Mobility Business Area, Continental said, “We are now able to offer full-stack, scalable vehicle system solutions with the highest performance, from ADAS to high automation, thereby strengthening our leadership position in assisted and automated driving. This strategic partnership with Ambarella is further expanding our broad portfolio and taking us a step closer towards Vision Zero and autonomous mobility.”
Fermi Wang, President and CEO, Ambarella said, “The automotive industry can now take full advantage of Ambarella’s algorithm-first SoC architectures and software IP, in combination with Continental’s global scale and proven track record in commercializing technology for the ADAS and automated mobility markets. Together with our partner Continental, we are offering vehicle manufacturers a compelling new option for making vehicles safer, while bringing the promise of advanced automation to fruition and building toward autonomous driving.”
