MediaTek’s new Dimensity Auto Cockpit chips bring advanced AI capabilities to vehicles

It’s been quite a journey throughout the history of cars – wouldn’t you say so? After Karl Friedrich Benz fashioned the very first motor vehicle in 1885, who would think that 9 years would shortly see the original vehicle powered by an internal combustion drive? And yet in 1994, something groundbreaking happened: self-driving cars; you’ve got Prometheus to thank for that. The project started back in 1986, and in 1995 the Mercedes S-Class traveled 1,092 miles from Munich and back to Copenhagen without a driver, not always using any form of human involvement.

All this was made possible by the computing power available: Since then, technology has consistently pulled large cars. On a time scale of more than three decades, it has driven automotive technology to heights that many could not afford until recently, giving people capabilities that were not even dreamed of. And now it’s an announcement from MediaTek. MediaTek announces an upgraded version of performance, processing units, or SoCs for the automotive industry: These compelling AI features will redefine vehicle functionality present in the recent Dimensity Auto Cockpit chipsets of MediaTek, partnered with NVIDIA Technology.

MediaTek on Thursday announced four new additions to its Dimensity Auto Cockpit lineup, which takes powerful AI experiences right into a car. This new quartet includes the MTK Dimensity Auto Cockpit CX-1, CY-1, CM-1, and CV-1. These four chips feature NVIDIA DRIVE OS support, deep-learning, the latest ARM v9-A architecture, and NVIDIA’s next-gen GPU that will help open up access to a new type of AI. All of this will support an impressive range of AI applications, including chatbots, immersive content delivery across numerous screens, driver alertness monitoring, and much more.

And here's a cool thing: these chips can run applications locally, which means faster speeds and better security. You won't have to wait for your car to connect to a server anymore, cutting out those annoying delays.

Jerry Yu, Corporate Senior Vice President and General Manager of MediaTek’s CCM Business, talked about how this shift is being made possible by Generative AI, comparing it to the revolution we saw in the mobile world. It's all about making computing experiences more personalized and intuitive. And MediaTek's Dimensity Auto Cockpit lineup is poised to bring a new era of AI-driven entertainment to vehicles, thanks to seamless integration of hardware and software, making it easy for carmakers to scale up AI features across their entire lineup.

With NVIDIA's RTX GPU onboard, you're in for some seriously enhanced visuals. Think ray tracing for realistic gaming graphics and AI-driven upscaling for smoother gameplay. And it's not just games; you can stream videos and even join conference calls while on the move. Plus, there are nifty features like AI gaze correction and audio enhancement to make those calls even better. Just remember to keep your focus on the road.

One standout feature of MediaTek’s chips is their built-in support for multi-camera HDR ISP, catering to a wide range of safety applications. And the integrated audio DSP supports popular digital assistants, so you can get info or control entertainment without losing focus on driving.