Demand is rising for high-performance automotive system-on-chip processors used in domain controllers that handle driver assistance and cockpit functions. As automakers consolidate function-specific electronic control units into domain controllers and central computers, each chip must process more computing workloads. Qualcomm and Nvidia are expanding in a market long led by Renesas and NXP. Korean Tier 1 suppliers are weighing partnerships and in-house chip design as centralised architectures spread.

Waymo released 10 principles for developing Level 4 autonomous-driving AI, based on more than 200 million miles of fully driverless experience. It said camera-only approaches have limits and highlighted multi-sensor fusion using cameras, lidar and radar, along with HD maps, closed-loop simulation and independent safety validation. The company also described a shift toward a few large specialised foundation models, separate onboard verification, independent evaluation and combining fast control with higher-level reasoning.