What is it?

The Tegra K1 is a mobile computer processor developed by NVIDIA, a brand best known by the computer gaming industry for its graphics processing units (GPUs). Adopting technology already used in the film industry and for medical imaging, it’s promising to revolutionise the next generation of vehicles and is already used in production models.

What does it do?

A GPU has traditionally only been tasked with processing visual data, but this requires a lot of power. While the central processing unit (CPU) in a modern smartphone has four processor cores and handles data sequentially, GPUs can have thousands of cores and tackle many tasks simultaneously.

Recognising this untapped processing power, NVIDIA pioneered a system where the CPU can offload the most memory-intensive 5% of an application’s code to the GPU. So the Tegra K1 has a quad-core CPU, but can also use its 192-core GPU to accelerate performance as required, improving the speed, accuracy and responsiveness of applications for phones, tablets and in-car systems.

The claims

With built-in processors for video, image and audio, NVIDIA claims the Tegra K1 can become a central brain for the myriad sensors and cameras fitted to modern cars. Because it can process more data at a higher speed, it could use this information to enable – for example – partially or fully autonomous driving.

It can also radically improve infotainment systems. The GPU allows touchscreens to respond quickly and intuitively to driver inputs, powers more accurate and intelligent voice control and provides the processing power for higher audio quality. It can do all of this while allowing clearer displays and navigation which can render three-dimensional topography and buildings, and overlay satellite imagery.

Further ahead, this technology could lay the foundations for augmented reality head-up displays. It can power the graphics for a transparent TFT screen sandwiched between the layers of a laminated windscreen, and has the capacity to monitor the driver’s eye movement to position this information in the correct part of the screen.

As manufacturers move towards virtual instrument panels, NVIDIA foresees increased customisation and downloadable themes. The Tegra K1 can render lifelike materials in high definition, including shadows and reflections, while data from other sensors could enable these virtual displays to respond realistically to surrounding lighting.

Where is it used?

NVIDIA already has several large automotive clients on board, with an estimated six million vehicles already using its processors and further clients in the pipeline set to grow the market exponentially. The Tegra K1 is used across the Volkswagen and BMW Group product portfolios, notably including the Audi TT’s virtual cockpit, and in Honda’s new Connect infotainment system. Tesla uses two in the Model S, powering the 17-inch central display and instrument panel.