Dive Brief:
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Honda Motor Co. and Texas-based semiconductor manufacturer Mythic will co-develop a system-on-chip for the automaker’s future software-defined vehicles, the automaker announced in a press release. As part of the project, Honda subsidary Honda R&D Co. will license Mythic’s analog, compute-in-memory processing technology.
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Mythic’s technology performs calculations directly inside a SoC’s memory, rather than moving data to a centralized processor, which can significantly reduce power consumption, according to Honda. Mythic claims the approach is 100 times more energy-efficient than industry-standard GPUs, and can dramatically lower the costs of deploying advanced driver-assist and autonomous driving technology in future vehicles.
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Honda confirmed to WardsAuto that this is a separate project with different “timelines and technical approaches” than its project to build a system-on-chip for SDVs with Renesas for future versions of Honda’s cancelled 0 Series EVs. “This initiative represents research and development targeting next-generation technologies beyond those examples,” it said in an emailed statement.
Dive Insight:
SoCs consolidate core computational and control tasks for various vehicle systems, including infotainment, propulsion, and safety-related and autonomous-driving systems. SoCs are widely considered more efficient and reduce the amount of wiring needed in a vehicle.
Mythic’s analog compute-in-memory approach could fundamentally mean less shuffling of data. It uses a SoC’s memory as “tunable resistors” with inputs supplied as voltages and outputs as currents.
Mythic also says it can strategically control the location of data in memory, which can improve efficiency when employing AI-powered neural networks for tasks such as image processing. Honda noted that it is “actively exploring neuromorphic SoC technology that draws inspiration from how the human brain works.
Mythic claims its analog processing units can perform 120 million TOPS per watt of energy, which it says is 100 times more efficient than today’s top-performing GPUs performing memory transfers. In complex matrix calculations used for image processing, its APUs are 1,000 times more energy efficient, according to the company.
Mythic has been backed by venture-capital since 2016 and claims to have had the world’s first analog computing silicon in production. Its latest $125 million funding round announced in December lists Honda and Lockheed Martin as investors alongside various VC funds.
“Honda has invested in Mythic to pay close attention to original technologies of Mythic and respond flexibly to future changes in the technological environment and societal trends,” summed Honda in the release.
Analog computing remains a niche in the computing industry, and chips specific to analog computing are produced at extremely small volume. Other leaders include Texas Instruments, Analog Devices and Infineon, while Intel and IBM have done significant research in neuromorphic areas.
At CES 2025, Honda announced it was partnering with Renesas to develop an SoC for its Honda 0 Series family of EVs, but the future of that partnership is unclear now that Honda cancelled its development plans.
In February, Honda took a $1.7B write-off on EVs and said it’s reorganizating future vehicle development under its R&D subsidary. The automaker said the change “will further strengthen its ability to grasp market and technology trends more accurately and deliver the original technologies and new value of Honda to the market at the optimal timing.”
