Google's Waymo Using Intel Chips For Its Self-Driving Minivans

Waymo--the Google self-driving project that spun out to become a business under Alphabet--said Monday it's using Intel chips as part of a compute platform that allows its self-driving Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans to process huge amounts of data so it can make decisions in real time while navigating city streets. It was the first time both companies acknowledged the collaboration, a revelation that gives new insight into Waymo's approach to self-driving vehicles. It's also a win for Intel, which has been pushing into the autonomous vehicle space with its $15.3 billion acquisition of Mobileye and alliances with BMW and Fiat Chrysler. Until recently, Intel has been viewed as a laggard behind rival Nvidia, a graphics processing chipmaker that is rapidly expanding into artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and self-driving cars. Waymo has prided itself on designing every aspect of its self-driving vehicles, particularly their eyes, ears, and brains. Waymo designed the entire suite of sensors that allows its self-driving minivans to see and hear the world around it.