Japanese automotive giant Honda has announced a collaboration with IBM. Under this partnership, the two corporate giants will develop artificial intelligence chips and software for next-generation automobiles.
Honda and IBM stated in their announcement that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on long-term research and development for next-generation computing technologies such as chips and software for future vehicles. Both companies view this partnership as a strategic foundation for next-generation vehicles.
A Critical Partnership from Honda and IBM
The announcement emphasizes that with the advent of artificial intelligence in automobiles, car manufacturers will compete for autonomous driving technology. During this process, the importance of SDV-based (software-defined vehicles, vehicles operated by software rather than solely developed by software) vehicles will increase significantly.
Therefore, in the near future, around 2030, next-generation vehicles will receive advanced SDV features through remote updates, similar to smartphones. Both companies expect an increase in demand for SDVs. Additionally, it is anticipated that SDVs will significantly increase the design complexity, processing performance, and associated power consumption of semiconductor chips compared to traditional mobility products.
In line with this forecast, Honda and IBM aim to develop next-generation artificial intelligence chips as part of the partnership, alongside software for automobiles. These chips are intended to have higher processing capacity while consuming less power.
The Japanese automotive industry is somewhat behind China and the United States in the transition to electric vehicles. However, manufacturers like Honda are in agreement on closing this gap and taking the lead. Additionally, Honda emphasizes that it will increase its R&D spending by 23% in the next fiscal year, reaching $7.7 billion. SDVs and electric vehicles are among the research targets within the company’s plans.
