AI Gets Boost in Continental’s Latest Partnership

Continental, one of the automotive industry’s top suppliers, is launching a strategic partnership with Ambarella, an edge AI semiconductor company.

The alliance underscores the growing dependence of automakers and their Tier 1 partners such as Continental on the suppliers of sophisticated semiconductors. Semiconductor shortages, which have disrupted production, are prompting automakers and key suppliers to develop closer ties to chip makers.

Continental and Silicon Valley-based Ambarella says they will jointly develop “scalable, end-to-end software and hardware systems based on artificial intelligence” for assisted and automated driving, on the way to autonomous mobility.

The partners are combining Ambarella’s computer vision know-how, system-on-chip (SoC) and software modules with Continental’s software and hardware expertise and broad portfolio of automotive system solutions.

In addition to the development of camera-based perception solutions for driver assistance or ADAS systems, Continental and Ambarella are focusing on “full-stack systems” for Level 2+ up to highly automated vehicles.

Continental says the full-stack solutions take a multi-sensor approach, including Continental’s high-resolution camera, radar and lidar, as well as the associated control unit and the required software.

The strategic collaboration follows Continental’s announcement in November it will integrate Ambarella's energy-efficient SoC family into Continental's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, according to the automotive supplier.

“At Continental, we have passionately pursued groundbreaking ideas aimed at creating a better tomorrow for everyone,” Continental CEO Nikolai Setzer notes during the company’s CES 2023 press conference.

With this development, Continental is strengthening its leadership position in assisted and automated driving and helping car manufacturers accelerate vehicle development in their high-growth businesses toward autonomous mobility globally, according to Setzer. Series production is planned for 2026.

 “Our display solutions and the partnership with Ambarella for future autonomous mobility, as presented today, will undoubtedly contribute to a safer, cleaner and more efficient mobility experience. With about 20,000 software experts and 150 years of engineering excellence, we are well-positioned to shape the future of mobility,” Setzer says.

During its press conference, Continental also displays its Curved Ultrawide Display concept with an invisible control panel. The newly designed and immersive pillar-to-pillar display is illuminated by more than 3,000 LEDs, producing excellent high-contrast picture quality. The screen is operated by an invisible control panel which only appears when required. Volume production of the Curved Ultrawide Display is planned for 2025.

Continental also shows its “Driver Identification Display” during CES. The display adds a new feature to driver monitoring by enabling contactless, secure driver identification using facial recognition, which enables fast and reliable driver authentication. The system could open the door for applications such as in-car payment without the need for any additional devices, Continental says.

The Driver Identification Display won the CES Innovation Award in the category “Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility.”

Founded in 2004 and based in in Santa Clara, CA, Ambarella’s products are used in a wide variety of human- and computer-vision applications, including video security, advanced driver-assistance systems, electronic mirrors, drive recorders, driver/cabin monitoring, autonomous driving and robotics applications.

Ambarella’s low-power SoCs offer high-resolution video compression, advanced image processing and powerful deep neural network processing to enable intelligent perception, fusion and central processing systems to extract data from high-resolution video and radar streams.

Ambarella has more than 700 employees and its customers include Bosch, another major automotive supplier, and the start-up Kodiak Self-Driving Trucks. It also supplies semiconductors used in drones and virtual reality units as well as various security systems, according to the company’s website.

Continental, one of the automotive industry’s top suppliers, is launching a strategic partnership with Ambarella, an edge AI semiconductor company.

The alliance underscores the growing dependence of automakers and their Tier 1 partners such as Continental on the suppliers of sophisticated semiconductors. Semiconductor shortages, which have disrupted production, are prompting automakers and key suppliers to develop closer ties to chip makers.

Continental and Silicon Valley-based Ambarella says they will jointly develop “scalable, end-to-end software and hardware systems based on artificial intelligence” for assisted and automated driving, on the way to autonomous mobility.

The partners are combining Ambarella’s computer vision know-how, system-on-chip (SoC) and software modules with Continental’s software and hardware expertise and broad portfolio of automotive system solutions.

In addition to the development of camera-based perception solutions for driver assistance or ADAS systems, Continental and Ambarella are focusing on “full-stack systems” for Level 2+ up to highly automated vehicles.

Continental says the full-stack solutions take a multi-sensor approach, including Continental’s high-resolution camera, radar and lidar, as well as the associated control unit and the required software.

The strategic collaboration follows Continental’s announcement in November it will integrate Ambarella's energy-efficient SoC family into Continental's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, according to the automotive supplier.

“At Continental, we have passionately pursued groundbreaking ideas aimed at creating a better tomorrow for everyone,” Setzer notes during the company’s CES 2023 press conference.

With this development, Continental is strengthening its leadership position in assisted and automated driving and helping car manufacturers accelerate vehicle development in their high-growth businesses toward autonomous mobility globally, according to Setzer. Series production is planned for 2026.

 “Our display solutions and the partnership with Ambarella for future autonomous mobility, as presented today, will undoubtedly contribute to a safer, cleaner and more efficient mobility experience. With about 20,000 software experts and 150 years of engineering excellence, we are well-positioned to shape the future of mobility,” Setzer says.

During its press conference, Continental also displays its Curved Ultrawide Display concept with an invisible control panel. The newly designed and immersive pillar-to-pillar display is illuminated by more than 3,000 LEDs, producing excellent high-contrast picture quality. The screen is operated by an invisible control panel which only appears when required. Volume production of the Curved Ultrawide Display is planned for 2025.

Continental also shows its “Driver Identification Display” during CES. The display adds a new feature to driver monitoring by enabling contactless, secure driver identification using facial recognition, which enables fast and reliable driver authentication. The system could open the door for applications such as in-car payment without the need for any additional devices, Continental says.

The Driver Identification Display won the CES Innovation Award in the category “Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility.”

Founded in 2004 and based in in Santa Clara, CA, Ambarella’s products are used in a wide variety of human- and computer-vision applications, including video security, advanced driver-assistance systems, electronic mirrors, drive recorders, driver/cabin monitoring, autonomous driving and robotics applications.

Ambarella’s low-power SoCs offer high-resolution video compression, advanced image processing and powerful deep neural network processing to enable intelligent perception, fusion and central processing systems to extract data from high-resolution video and radar streams.

Ambarella has more than 700 employees and its customers include Bosch, another major automotive supplier, and the start-up Kodiak Self-Driving Trucks. It also supplies semiconductors used in drones and virtual reality units as well as various security systems, according to the company’s website.

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