Quote:
Originally Posted by Agni
Tesla dumped Mobile Eye and started hiring all the AI engineers they can get to build their own algorithms and silicon. Also Nvidia built a custom PX chip for Tesla, so no they are not using off the shelf tech. Apple designs its own mobile chips, which is why the iPad and iPhones have the best specs in all the benchmarks. You need that vertical integration to stay ahead.
Also there is a reason Ford fired their Harvard MBA CEO Mark Fields and replaced him with a technologist who was previously heading their technology division...
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The Nvidia PX2 is available to all comers.
Toyota, MB, Audi, BMW, Bosch, etc are partnered with Nvidia.
I'm in the silicon business and I have yet to see Tesla start ramping the way you need to to build custom chips with processors and yes, where I am, I'd see it. I have not seen a flood of front end design engineers, verification and other silicon engineers start leaving going to Tesla. There is no value added for Tesla to build their own chips. It's much better to use a platform like the PX2. Getting into the processor game, when that isn't your value add is silly.
Apple may design their own chips. but they are an ARM variant and conform to the same instruction set that Qualcomm chips conform to. There are multiple ways to skin a cat. Apple is using GPU technology licensed from someone else in their chips.
An iPhone is a nice packaging job of commodity components.
Screen by Samsung.
Camera by Sony.
Sensors by Broadcom.
Modems by Qualcomm and Intel.
Etc...
CPU technology licensed from ARM, implemented by Apple.
Software based on BSD, GUI by Apple.
Tesla is great at packaging. They have great battery technology.
Tesla started as a battery and drivetrain company.
Initially it was a rolling chassis of a Lotus.
That's not to say that they aren't going to eat the BMW or anything else for lunch, but the prices have to come down to do that.
A Model 3 has $36K base and by the time you configure one with some "real" stuff you can be at $60K.
Finally Tesla is switching to "vegan" leather.
That alone drops me out of ever buying one.