AI on-edge is rapidly gaining traction. The influence of AI is not confined to just phones and laptops; but automobile makers, too, are contemplating hosting AI models running on the edge.

Sima.ai, a US-based chip-making company focusing on the edge, is gearing up to bring AI capabilities to automakers. In a conversation with AIM, Krishna Rangasayee, founder and CEO at Sima.ai, said that a significant transformation is underway in the automotive industry, transitioning from traditional computing to an AI/ML-based computing architecture.

Missing piece of the puzzle

“This shift is set to redefine the industry’s technological landscape because there’s no way that classic computing can keep up with the demands of the future.”

He believes Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) will be all AI/ML-based. In recent times, ADAS has emerged as a central focus in the automotive industry, bringing about a transformative impact on safety, convenience, and the overall driving experience.

“While every car manufacturer is taking a varied approach, what’s really clear as a macro trend is that AI is going to be everywhere,” he said.

Moreover, Rangasayee also believes how we interact with a car will change from an infotainment perspective. There’s a trend towards multimodal interfaces, allowing interactions through touch or voice, introducing diverse user experiences.

“While everyone today is talking about Large Language Models (LLMs), the next transition in the industry is going to be Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) and that I think is going to be the pervasive architecture that’s going to touch everything because it is the closest thing that we have come to in mimicking human capacity.

He added that going forward, his company will extend support to various elements, encompassing textual, audio, image, and video information.

We have already seen automobile companies like Mercedez testing ChatGPT in cars. However, to make this happen, you need specialised chips, which is the gap Sima wants to fill in the market.

“The problem is, if you run that on computer chips or chips designed for something completely else, like mobile phones, it’s very inefficient,” Harald Kroeger, Head of Automotive and Sales at SiMa.ai, told AIM.

As car manufacturers transition to AI, Sima.ai wants to be the company that provides the hardware and software to do so efficiently- the missing piece of the puzzle- as Kroeger puts it.

Indian automakers at the forefront of AI

Sima poached Kroeger earlier this year due to his extensive industry experience spanning over three decades. He has worked with some of the most influential automotive companies globally, including Bosch, Rivian, Daimler, and Tesla.

Recently, Rangasayee and Kroeger were in India talking to automobile companies. “I have been coming to India for the last 20 years and I can’t stop admiring the speed at which the factories here develop. I don’t see any European companies embracing and utilising new technology with the speed and efficiency we see in India.

“This is why we are bullish not only due to the outstanding engineering quality in the country but also because of the ways we can assist Indian companies in accessing the world’s best AI hardware, propelling them to the next level and surpassing other nations,” Kroeger said.

While both Rangasayee and Kroeger refrained from revealing the names of the automobile companies they are talking to, Kroeger does mention that Sima is in talks with the top 10 Tier 1 car manufacturers in the world to help them transition to AI with Sima’s edge solutions.

Do autonomous vehicles have a future in India?

Kroeger, who served on a board of directors at Tesla for over a year, believes it is impossible to see autonomous vehicles running in the busy streets of Bangalore or New Delhi. Today, companies like Waymo run self-driving taxis in cities like San Francisco.

However, envisioning self-driving cars navigating Indian streets proves challenging, given the stark contrast in driving conditions compared to the Western world. “Even a blind man can drive in the US,” Rangasayee jokes.

Kroeger also contends that the prospect of autonomous vehicles navigating Indian cities seems implausible in the current decade or the next. Nevertheless, this does not rule out the possibility of identifying specific use cases for autonomous vehicles in India.

When conversing with Indian customers, according to Kroeger, the consensus is that autonomous cars may not navigate the challenging traffic conditions prevalent here. However, there is recognition of the excellent highways for long-distance routes. The idea of having a car that can handle the journey between cities, for example, Bangalore to Mysore or Chennai, and provide comfort during those extended drives holds significant value.

Moreover, Kroeger believes Indian customers are tech-savvy and eager for new technology. “They are forward-thinking, and the current discussions revolve around planning for the future. It’s anticipated that certain features, if not fully autonomous, will become standard in every car.”