Waymo develops custom 5nm chips for autonomous robotaxis

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has developed its own 5-nanometer application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to power its sixth-generation autonomous vehicle fleet, known as Project Ojai. Produced by TSMC, the custom chip is designed to handle massive data processing from 13 high-fidelity cameras, four lidar systems, and radar sensors in real time.

The new hardware achieves a performance level of over 1,000 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) for machine learning, enabling decision-making in less than 10 milliseconds. This vertical integration aims to reduce reliance on external hardware suppliers like Nvidia and AMD, while significantly lowering manufacturing and maintenance costs to improve profitability.

While the custom ASIC replaces certain core components, Waymo will continue to utilize CPUs and accelerators from partners including AMD, Nvidia, Samsung, and Micron. The system features a liquid-cooled, redundant design to ensure the reliability required for driverless operations in dense urban environments such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.