Auto Industry Takes Moore’s Law for a Drive

November 15, 2018 | 2 min read

Will Drewery VP of Industry Marketing, Bright Machines

Around 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore made a bold prediction based on a historical trend he observed – one that would help guide technology’s evolution over the next 50 years: The number of transistors on an integrated circuit – or, overall processing power for computers – will double every two years. This means smaller, faster and more efficient computers. From smartphones to tablets, just about every facet of our society has demonstrated this phenomenon predicted by Moore’s Law.

While there is some debate in the computer science world about the limits of his prediction, one thing is certain: Moore’s Law is alive and well in the auto industry.

Data Centers on Wheels

Today’s vehicles are more connected and intelligent than ever before. Increasingly powerful computer technology continues to infiltrate the automotive world – from design and manufacturing, to sales, and of course, the driving experience.

Just as Gordon Moore predicted computers would double in power every two years, we at Bright Machines are witnessing dramatic growth in the number of new vehicles leveraging central processing units (CPUs) to drive these new capabilities.  The next generation of vehicles has 10x the CPUs than those being developed just a few short years ago. The processing power required of these new intelligent vehicles is so great that vehicles themselves are becoming “data centers on wheels.”

It’s not just the luxury-minded that are embracing powerful computer technology. Recent statistics demonstrate the incredible investment the auto industry is making in cutting edge technology:

The estimated investment in autonomous vehicle technology over the past three years is $80 billion (The Brookings Institution).
The Automotive Infotainment Systems Market is expected to reach $40 billion by 2023 (Reportlinker).
The number of electric vehicles on the road around the world will hit 125 million by 2030 (International Energy Agency).

Bright Machines for the World’s Largest Automakers

With a combination of intelligent software and flexible robots, Bright Machines is manufacturing the next wave of intelligent systems in vehicles, opening opportunities for electrification, autonomy, connectivity and infotainment among the world’s leading car brands.

It’s an exciting time for the automotive space. Increasingly powerful computer technology is impacting every area of our lives – from the way we communicate with friends, to the way we get around our city streets. We’re thrilled to take a small part in facilitating the digital transformations for our customers, so they can deliver cutting-edge products through intelligent, software-driven manufacturing.

To learn more about our capabilities in building the backbone of AI, visit Bright Machines.