MediaTek gets a lot of shout-outs on this platform since their Dimensity chips power many smartphones, especially when aiming for a lower price tag—they sold the most chips in Q4 last year, after all. Nvidia, less so, because they focus majorly on GPUs for video game consoles and computers. MediaTek’s CPU expertise and Nvidia’s excellent GPU technology are coming together to give us the Dimensity Auto Cockpit platform.
Four new MediaTek chips made for intelligent vehicles were announced at Nvidia GTC (GPU Technology Conference). These are the Dimensity Auto Cockpit CX-1, CY-1, CM-1, and CV-1, with the CX-1 being the most premium chip and the CV-1 being the entry-level choice. This collaboration has been in the works for some time, and it’s great to see the first chips announced.
All of these chips have a lot going on to enable them to do the job perfectly: an ARM v9-A CPU, an Nvidia RTX GPU and AI processing enhanced by it, a multi-camera HDR image signal processor, and a multi-audio DSP. They’ll also support multiple displays (and cars these days have a lot).
Plus, while it supports a bunch of operating systems like QNX, Linux, and Android Automotive, it can also use the Nvidia Drive OS, which is built for driver assistance features and autonomous cars.
How Are These Automotive Chips Expected To Change Things?
So, we’ve gone through the technical aspects, but what can we actually expect these new Dimensity Auto Cockpit chips to bring to the vehicle experience for both drivers and passengers?
Well, first off, you can expect to have an AI chatbot built right into your car. It’ll conversationally communicate with you and answer your questions intelligently and accurately. It will also enhance your driver experience by recognizing each person who uses the car. The possibilities with that are plentiful. It could know how far back you like your seat, your preferred AC settings, the places you like to go, for example.
Plus, even with displays on the dash, in the rear-view mirror, and for the occupants in the backseat, the chip will be able to handle everything reliably and fluidly. MediaTek hints at the possibility of AAA gaming in a vehicle with these chips, thanks to the Nvidia RTX GPU running the show. It’ll also be able to monitor the driver and ensure they’re still aware and paying attention to the road for safety purposes, even when self-driving.
To wrap this all together nicely, applications will be run locally, and data will be stored in the car itself, so you get great speed and less to worry about regarding security.