Skip to main content

Intel sees data as 'the new oil,' announces $250 million autonomous tech investment

intel autonomous cars 250 million investment automobility ceo brian krzanich 2
Data is the new oil, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in his keynote address at the L.A. Auto Show’s AutoMobility conference. Krzanich during his speech announced Intel Capital will invest more than $250 million to advance autonomous driving. The keynote was the first ever for Intel at an automotive conference, underscoring the attention Intel is directing to the auto tech market.

According to Krzanich, the average person generates 650 MB of data each day with PCs, mobile devices, and wearables. By 2020 the personal data generation is projected to increase to 1.5 GB daily. Autonomous cars, however, will produce the equivalent of nearly 3,000 people, Krzanich said, approximately 4 terabytes (4,000 GB). The data will be generated from onboard vehicle radar, sonar, GPS, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) components, which he said will be “as essential to this new way of driving as pistons, rings, and engine blocks.”

The technical data from a car’s sensors, which Krzanich called “inside-out” data, will all be directed toward the decisions the car makes about movement. In addition, “outside in” data such as traffic and road events will also factor in vehicle mobility. Inside-out and outside-in information will determine trip distance, direction, and time.

Personal data from passengers, including music preferences, brand and store preferences, individual behavior, focus, and emotional and biometric status gathered by in-car sensors and wearables, can all contribute to the passengers’ user experience while riding in autonomous vehicles.

Intel sees opportunity in all of the data associated with autonomous vehicles. Collecting, analyzing and deriving “actionable insights”  from vehicle and passenger data will be essential in developing autonomous vehicle technology and improving the passenger experience.

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
These new NASA EVs will drive astronauts part way to the moon (sort of)
NASA's new crew transportation electric vehicles.

Three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. The zero-emission vehicles, which will carry astronauts to Launch Complex 39B for Artemis missions, were delivered by Canoo Technologies of Torrance, California. NASA/Isaac Watson

NASA has shown off a trio of new all-electric vehicles that will shuttle the next generation of lunar astronauts to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center.

Read more
5 upcoming EVs I’m excited for, from luxury SUVs to budget champions
Lotus Eletre

Almost every major automaker has released an EV by now -- or plans to soon -- and makers like Ford and Kia already have a variety to choose from. But if you haven't found one that's right for you yet, hang tight. There are dozens of announced electric car models that have yet to come out, and it's clear that the future of EVs is bright.

From longer range to lower prices, the next batch of EVs gives us plenty to get excited about. Here are five upcoming EVs that we can't wait to drive.
Volvo EX30

Read more
Tesla shows off first Cybertruck after two years of delays
The first Cybertruck built at Tesla's Giga Texas facility.

The first Cybertruck built at Tesla's Giga Texas facility. Tesla

Tesla has shown off the first Cybertruck to roll off the production line at its new Gigafactory plant in Austin, Texas.

Read more