Apple’s much-discussed self-driving car project can’t seem to get away from its Korean ties. Hyundai and Kia were rumored to be in charge of the project at first. However, they eventually withdrew. Apple, on the other hand, continued to hold conversations with a number of Korean component manufacturers, including LG, SK, and Hanwha, for its rumored automobile.
According to a report on Korean supply chain news site The Elec, the Cupertino-based business is supposedly building a self-driving chip for its automobile project in collaboration with a Korean OSAT (outsourced semiconductor package test) company, just as it did for the M1 CPU.
Apple Silicon division, which makes Mac and iPhone CPUs, is said to be in charge of the self-driving system chip as well.
According to Korean media, the Apple automobile will be unveiled in 2025
It’s possible that Apple’s next car won’t have a steering wheel or pedals.
Kia will not produce the self-driving Apple automobile, but it may produce the Apple scooter.
Foxconn may create an Apple automobile assembly line.
The identity of the South Korean OSAT firm working on the module for a chip that controls the Apple car’s autopilot feature was not included in the story. It’s worth noting that Apple M1 chipset, which is included in the latest Macs and iPads, was also put to the test with Korean OSAT companies.
For the record, Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Beta systems rely on a custom 14nm Samsung Exynos processor, memory, and camera integration, which was produced by another Korean business. Apple appears to be following the same path.
As a result, Korean companies appear to be the go-to solutions in the chip manufacturing and assembly supply chain.
According to reports, the Apple car’s autonomous driving system, which the Korean OSAT is in charge of, will also include a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) component. The NPU will serve as a central processing unit for the artificial intelligence calculations required to monitor and manage the Apple EV’s responses to road conditions and driver input.
Despite the recent poaching of key personnel, the Apply automated driving project is progressing steadily.
Apple’s top executives and engineers have been traveling to South Korea on a regular basis to meet with local suppliers.
Aside from CPUs, Apple has discussed batteries with SK Innovation, SK Group’s EV battery division, and LG Electronics.
According to reports, iPhone assembler Foxconn, which is now looking to switch to EV manufacturing, is preparing to construct a specialized assembly line for Apple cars in Thailand.
