Automotive AI chips are unveiled by Tenstorrent, Hyundai-backed BOS.

December 12, SEOUL (Reuters) - On Thursday, South Korean chip company BOS Semiconductors, supported by Hyundai Motor Group, and Canadian startup Tenstorrent presented artificial intelligence (AI) chips for autonomous driving and in-car infotainment. The need for AI processors to manage the high performance workloads required for complex features has increased as cars progressively transform into "computers on wheels." Park Jae-hong, the founder of BOS Semiconductors, told Reuters that the chips are the first "automotive chiplet AI accelerator" in the industry.According to him, chiplets—small chips integrated into a larger system, similar to LEGO blocks—allow automakers to modify certain features to suit their requirements and cut costs. In order to deliver the "Eagle-N" devices, which will make their debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and begin production in late 2026, Park stated that BOS Semiconductors is in negotiations with unnamed German manufacturers.

According to him, BOS will carve out a niche market as it takes on chip titans like Qualcomm (QCOM.O) and creates a new page in automotive AI chips. Park previously designed processors for Apple (AAPL.O) and Tesla (TSLA.O) while working for Samsung Electronics (005380.KS), opens new tab. It will be manufactured with 5nm, one of Samsung's cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. Jim Keller, a former Apple chip designer who also managed Tesla's efforts to create an autonomous driving chip, is in charge of Tenstorrent. Investors like Samsung, Hyundai Motor Group, and Jeff Bezos' family office have shown interest in Tenstorrent.