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Intel
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Intel launches new chip to power Chinese carmakers’ advanced in-vehicle AI initiatives

  • The company’s new Arc Graphics for Automotive discrete graphics processing unit is designed to power in-vehicle AI capabilities

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Jack Weast, vice-president and general manager of Intel Automotive, shows the firm’s new discrete graphics processing unit at a launch event in Shenzhen. Photo: Intel
Xinmei Shen
Intel has launched a new graphics processing unit (GPU) for cars in mainland China, as the US chip giant doubles down on the world’s largest electric vehicle market amid its slumping growth and intense competition in advanced semiconductors.
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The company’s new Arc Graphics for Automotive discrete GPU, designed to power in-car artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, will be commercially deployed in the cockpit of vehicles as soon as next year, the company announced at the product launch in Shenzhen on Thursday.

“China’s rapid electric vehicle development cycles and advanced technological adoption make it an ideal testing ground for our next-generation technologies,” Jack Weast, vice-president and general manager of Intel Automotive, said in a statement released for the event.

The new chip, part of Intel’s Arc Series discrete GPUs that were first launched in 2022 for video gaming laptops, will allow users to “run full large language models (LLMs) inside the car” and “triple A gaming experiences”, as well as run generative AI applications locally in a car instead of on the cloud, Weast said during the launch. LLMs are the technology underpinning generative AI services like ChatGPT.
Intel is offering carmakers in mainland China a single platform to unlock a new era of artificial intelligence-driven in-vehicle experiences. Photo: Shutterstock
Intel is offering carmakers in mainland China a single platform to unlock a new era of artificial intelligence-driven in-vehicle experiences. Photo: Shutterstock
Intel’s entry into automotive discrete GPUs reflects growing demand for compute power in increasingly sophisticated vehicle cockpits, as US semiconductor rivals Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices ramp up their efforts in the auto chip market segment.
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