Mobileye says modular Brain6 software opens new possibilities

Mobileye, the Israeli autonomous-vehicle technology supplier, says its new Brain6 software allows it to deliver a vision-based driving assistance system that is “two orders of magnitude” better than current offerings and also lets the company expand into infotainment.

Brain6 software will be coupled with the company’s newest EyeQ6 sensor to support semi-autonomous and autonomous driving that is enhanced with learnings from artificial intelligence.

The hardware and software combination will first appear in cars next year and will be “significantly” scaled up by 2026, CEO Amnon Shashua told analysts on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

Volkswagen Group is a confirmed customer for EyeQ6 technology, Shashua said, without naming a specific brand.

Mobileye’s technology is embedded in VW Group’s 1.2 software in its new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which underpins the new Porsche Macan electric and Audi Q6 E-Tron.

Mobileye, which built its reputation supplying its EyeQ range of chips and sensors to automakers and Tier 1 suppliers, says its assistance technology is found in 150 million cars worldwide.

The Intel-owned company is working to advance its Level 1 and Level 2 driving assistance toward levels that will allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road.

Price advantage on Tesla

Shashua says the Brain6/EyeQ6 combination is half the price of Tesla’s FSD 12 Level 2 package. “We understand that the path to widespread adoption of autonomous driving technology hinges on cost effectiveness,” he said on the call Aug. 1.

The “modular” approach to the software means that it can be customized to allow automakers to embed it within infotainment systems. “It opens up new business models,” Shashua said.

Mobileye now offers only products related to ADAS and autonomous vehicles, while rival chipmakers including Qualcomm and Nvidia offer a broader range of customizable chips that can power multiple systems within the car, including infotainment.

The Brain6 software is built using mapping data sourced from Mobileye’s existing fleet of customer cars and enhanced with AI to create a more natural response. 

“This crowdsourced mapping not only teaches Brain6 how to interpret road conditions everywhere, but also provides invaluable driving behavior insights,” Shashua said.

He said the company would reveal more about Brain6 at an investor event Dec. 9-10 in Berlin. 

Seeking new markets

Mobileye's portfolio includes a range of assisted driving platforms from simple ADAS to a more complex semi-autonomous system called SuperVision. Above that are the autonomous Chauffeur and Drive set-ups, combining multiple sensors and powered by a combination of EyeQ6 chips. 

VW will use its Chauffeur system to create Level 4 autonomous passenger vans, the two companies said. Rimac’s new Verne robotaxi service, meanwhile, will use Mobileye’s Drive system.

Recently Mobileye has been trying to move away from a “black box” approach in selling a complete ADAS system in response to automakers who wish to assert more control over software products.

In January of this year, for example, Mobileye announced its DXP operating system — a customizable layer on top of a base layer of situational awareness.

Mobileye posted an operating loss of $94 million for the second quarter, up from a loss of $33 million the same quarter the year before. Revenue was down 3 percent to $439 million for the quarter. 

The company warned of lower revenue in the second half of the year on lower-than-expected sales of key models sold by customers in China.