Buying an autonomous car may be in your future, but make sure it has a capable processor installed so the vehicle doesn't get in trouble with traffic police. Autonomous cars could make timely and more accurate decisions with Nvidia's new Tegra chip code-named Parker. The chip has the computing power to allow autonomous cars to recognize a wide range of signs, objects, signals, and lanes. Parker can also deliver 4K video to in-car entertainment systems. Details of the chip were presented for the first time at the Hot Chips conference this week in Cupertino, California.

Nvidia's Tegra chips started off powering mobile phones, but they are now used in cars, servers, robots, and drones. The next Tegra chip being detailed at Hot Chips is already in Nvidia's Drive PX 2, which the company described as a "supercomputer for cars." Sitting in the trunk of a car, Drive PX 2 helps self-driving cars with object recognition, navigation, and other functions. This megachip has a powerful graphics processor, and we can't wait to hear more about it.

From smartphones to self-driving cars, Nvidia's Tegra chips have been used in a wide variety of devices and products. Now, the next-generation Tegra is just around the corner. Details about a chip called "Tegra-next" will be shared next month at the Hot Chips conference in Cupertino. Tegra-next will succeed the Tegra X1 chip, which was announced in early 2015. An Nvidia spokesman confirmed the talk will be about the next-generation Tegra chip, but didn't share further details.