Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

riviantrackr.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 670 posts

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#51

Post by OneDeuxTriSeiGo »

kappi wrote: post #15
OneDeuxTriSeiGo wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on the type of LIDAR. LIDAR rated for vehicle use is at a wavelength opaque to the eyes so it hits the surface and fluid of your eye and reflects back rather than going through to your cones and rods. It isn't however opaque for optical glass (since the LIDAR has to shine through optical glass in the first place) so it hits your camera lens, goes straight through, and slams the sensor.

During the presentation, Rivian speaker specifically said it is safe for your camera sensors. Check the youtube video of their presentation

Ah. Theirs may be then. In which case they are probably using a different wavelength and a different glass.

I was just speaking in terms of the commonplace LIDAR solutions for road use.

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#52

Post by potatolicious »

bjord wrote: post #2

is everyone designing their own silicon getting so much additional them-specific utility out of it that it's actually worth it?

I share your skepticism. This feels like an attempt to tap the trainloads of money piling into "AI", for a company that is in pretty desperate need of more cash to stay alive.

In a vacuum there are potentially some advantages to doing your own silicon, especially if your goal is to sell the platform to other automakers as an OEM.

But custom silicon is pricey as hell (if you're doing anything non-trivial, at least), and the payoffs have a long lead time. For a company that's bleeding cash aggressively, with a short runway, to engage in this seems iffy. This sort of move makes a lot more sense if Rivian was an established maker that's cash-flow positive and is looking to cement their long-term lead with free cash flow. Buuuuut they aren't that.

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#53

Post by riotnrrd »

slashdave wrote: post #39
bickfordb wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have the same question. It makes sense that they might need bespoke software, but how could they possibly be more efficient at creating chips than an AMD/Nvidia?

Well, if AMD and/or Nvidia were to invest on a chip for an auto, maybe you might have a point.

NVIDIA has been selling automotive-specific silicon for a decade.

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#54

Post by spankalee »

orliesaurus wrote: post #47

Watching this unfold... I keep thinking about the supply chain... how many rare minerals go into this custom silicon? ALSO what happens when the first generation hits end-of-life... will there be a clear path to recycling? I want to believe these platforms will last more than a subscription cycle... BUT I guess we won't know until we see a teardown...

Why would more minerals go into custom silicon than off-the-shelf silicon? How would recycling be any different?

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#55

Post by porphyra »

orliesaurus wrote: post #47

Watching this unfold... I keep thinking about the supply chain... how many rare minerals go into this custom silicon? ALSO what happens when the first generation hits end-of-life... will there be a clear path to recycling? I want to believe these platforms will last more than a subscription cycle... BUT I guess we won't know until we see a teardown...

typical automotive 905 nm lidars are just CMOS chips similar to cameras and regular computer chips

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#56

Post by [deleted] »

tennysont wrote: post #45
filoleg wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your eyes will be fine (assuming that we are talking about automotive LiDAR specifically). Automotive LiDAR is designed to meet Class-1 laser eye-safety standard, which means "safe under normal conditions." It isn't some subjective/marketing thing, it is an official laser safety classification that is very regulated. However, if you try to break that "normal conditions" rule by pressing your eyeball directly against…

Why wouldn’t your eye lens focus LIDAR photons from the same source onto a small region of your retina in the same way that a phone camera lens focuses same-origin photos to a few pixels? Sorry if this is a silly question, I honestly don’t have the greatest understanding of EM.

[deleted]

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#57

Post by legitster »

nicksergeant wrote: post #11

Meanwhile, the only thing people really want from Rivian is CarPlay / Android Auto support, lol.

I get where carmakers are coming from though.

Cars used to compete on distinctions between driving experience/fuel economy/reliability/etc. In comparison, differences between electric cars is mostly superfluous. They're very interchangeable.

For the next generation of car buyers, infotainment and features are going to be the main features. And if you are handing all of that away to the tech companies, your entire company is going to just become another captive hardware partner of the tech giants.

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#58

Post by orliesaurus »

spankalee wrote: post #54
orliesaurus wrote: post #47

Watching this unfold... I keep thinking about the supply chain... how many rare minerals go into this custom silicon? ALSO what happens when the first generation hits end-of-life... will there be a clear path to recycling? I want to believe these platforms will last more than a subscription cycle... BUT I guess we won't know until we see a teardown...

Why would more minerals go into custom silicon than off-the-shelf silicon? How would recycling be any different?

not "more"

Re: Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

#59

Post by nicksergeant »

legitster wrote: post #57
nicksergeant wrote: post #11

Meanwhile, the only thing people really want from Rivian is CarPlay / Android Auto support, lol.

I get where carmakers are coming from though. Cars used to compete on distinctions between driving experience/fuel economy/reliability/etc. In comparison, differences between electric cars is mostly superfluous. They're very interchangeable. For the next generation of car buyers, infotainment and features are going to be the main features. And if you are handing all of that away to the tech companies, your entire com…

I don't know. I would argue that driving experience and reliability are still very much going to be things in the electric car market. I'm an EV9 owner and we have issues w/ the suspension making it feel sloppy over some bumps. There's going to be a ton of nuance in terms of how all of these different electric vehicles drive, ride, and are experienced. And those are all going to come down to the vehicle manufacturers themselves, not just the technology partner for screens.
Post reply on HN