Tenstorrent partners with BOS supported by Hyundai to release "Eagle-N" automotive AI chip to challenge industry giants
1min read On Thursday, Canadian startup Tenstorrent and Korean chip startup BOS Semiconductors, backed by Hyundai Motor Group, unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) chip designed specifically for in-car infotainment systems and autonomous driving. The innovation marks a surge in demand for AI chips that can handle complex high-performance workloads as cars increasingly evolve into "computers on wheels."
The chips, which BOS Semiconductors founder Park Jae-hong hailed as the industry's first "automotive small chip AI accelerator," are designed to be unique in that they can be combined like Lego blocks to form a large system, offering carmakers unprecedented customization flexibility to meet their specific needs and effectively reduce costs through targeted feature updates.
BOS is in talks with an unnamed German carmaker to supply its "Eagle-N" product, which is set to make its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and is expected to go into mass production by the end of 2026, Park said.
BOS Semiconductors aims to challenge industry giants such as Qualcomm (QCOM.US) in the automotive AI chip market and carve out a new niche, Park added. Notably, Park worked at Samsung Electronics, where he was involved in developing chips for Apple (AAPL.US) and Tesla (TSLA.US), and the "Eagle-N" chip will be manufactured using Samsung's advanced 5nm manufacturing process.
Jim Keller, a former Apple chip designer and head of Tesla's self-driving chip project, who founded Tenstorrent, also played a key role in the collaboration. Tenstorrent has attracted support from major investors including Hyundai Motor Group, Samsung and Jeff Bezos' family office.