Intel Partners with BMW, Nissan, SAIC Motor, Volkswagen, Paramount Pictures, Ferrari North America to Showcase Power of Data at CES

In the opening keynote for CES 2018, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich highlighted how data is transforming the world around us and driving the next great wave of technology innovation, from autonomous driving to artificial intelligence (AI) to virtual reality (VR) and other forms of immersive media. 

In a keynote packed with glimpses into future technologies, Krzanich treated the audience to a dazzling array of data-driven innovations. In autonomous driving, he unveiled Intel’s first autonomous vehicle in its 100-car test fleet; disclosed that BMW*, Nissan*, and Volkswagen* are moving their Mobileye-based mapping design wins to actual deployments; and announced new collaborations with SAIC Motor and NavInfo to extend crowdsourced map building to China. Focused on the future of AI, Krzanich announced a partnership with Ferrari* North America to use Intel’s AI technologies to apply data from the racetrack to enhance the experience for fans and drivers. In immersive media, he introduced the newly established Intel Studios and announced Paramount Pictures will be the first major Hollywood studio to explore this technology in tandem with Intel to see where this will lead for the next generation of visual storytelling.

“Data is going to introduce social and economic changes that we see perhaps once or twice in a century,” Krzanich said. “We not only find data everywhere today, but it will be the creative force behind the innovations of the future. Data is going to redefine how we experience life – in our work, in our homes, how we travel, and how we enjoy sports and entertainment.” 

Krzanich’s keynote marked the start of CES for Intel and provided tangible examples for how the company and its partners are unlocking the power of data to transform businesses and our daily lives.

Building the Autonomous Future

In autonomous driving, Krzanich announced that 2 million vehicles from BMW, Nissan and Volkswagen will use Mobileye Road Experience Management (REM) technology to crowdsource data to build and rapidly update low-cost, scalable high-definition maps throughout this year. 

For the China market, Krzanich disclosed two critical partnerships with leading automotive manufacturer SAIC Motor and digital mapping company NavInfo. In addition, SAIC will develop Level 3, 4 and 5 cars in China based on Mobileye technology. Levels are assigned based on capacity for autonomy – a Level 4 vehicle can drive itself almost exclusively without any human interaction, and a Level 5 vehicle can drive itself without human interaction on any road.

Krzanich also disclosed details for the company’s new automated driving platform, which combines automotive-grade Intel Atom® processors with Mobileye EyeQ5® chips to deliver a platform with industry-leading scalability and versatility for L3 (Level 3) to L5 (Level 5) autonomous driving.

Intel Senior Vice President and CEO/CTO of Mobileye Professor Amnon Shashua will share more details about the company’s autonomous driving strategy during an Intel press conference at CES on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 10:00 a.m. (LVCC room #228).

Driving Insights with Intel AI and Exploring Technology of Tomorrow

Addressing artificial intelligence, Krzanich showcased how companies are using Intel’s technology to transform their businesses through AI. He announced Intel is partnering with Ferrari North America to bring the power of AI to the Ferrari Challenge North America Series that will take place on six courses in the U.S. this year. The Ferrari Challenge broadcast will use the processing power of Intel Xeon® Scalable processors and the neonTM framework for deep learning not only to transcode, identify objects and events, and stream the experience to viewers online, but also to mine the resulting data for further insights for drivers and fans.

Looking ahead to the future of computing, Krzanich noted Intel’s promising research into neuromorphic computing, a new type of computing architecture that mimics the way brains observe, learn and understand. Intel’s neuromorphic research prototype chip (“Loihi”) is now fully functioning and will be shared with research partners this year.

Krzanich also announced the next milestone in Intel’s efforts to develop a quantum computing system. Intel shipped its first 49-qubit quantum computing test chip (“Tangle Lake”) to research partner QuTech. Quantum computing is the ultimate in parallel processing, and Krzanich noted it has the potential to compute at a far greater speed than anything ever achieved before.

Creating a New Wave of VR and Immersive Media

In addition to enabling AI and the autonomous future, Krzanich discussed how data can transform other everyday experiences, such as entertainment and media. He announced the debut of Intel Studios, a newly constructed, state-of-the-art studio dedicated to the production of large-scale, volumetric content – using Intel® True View technology – that will create new forms of visual storytelling with and without VR. Intel Studios features the world’s largest volumetric video stage and a comprehensive post-production and control facility that will enable companies to create lifelike immersive media experiences like never before. Paramount Pictures is the first major Hollywood studio to explore this technology in tandem with Intel. 

In sports, Krzanich announced that Intel will enable the largest scale virtual reality event to date with the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 using Intel® True VR technology. Intel, together with the official Rights Holding Broadcasters, will capture a record 30 Olympic events, with both live and video-on-demand content available. This marks the first-ever live virtual reality broadcast of the Olympic Winter Games and will be available in the U.S. via a forthcoming NBC Sports* VR app. Krzanich also showcased how Intel is helping bring the future of 5G to the Olympics Winter Games to enable other new realistic, immersive and responsive sports and entertainment experiences with VR and 360-degree video.

Finally, Intel achieved a new Guinness World Records* title for the most UAVs airborne simultaneously from a single computer indoors when Krzanich presented a spectacular indoor light show performed by 100 Intel® Shooting Star™ Mini drones, or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).

“If you are impressed by what you see at CES this week, stay tuned,” Krzanich stated in his closing remarks. “We are still discovering new ways to apply the power of AI and data. These discoveries will impact nearly every sector of innovation, and Intel is at the forefront of this revolution, bringing to life the promise of data-driven experiences through autonomous driving, AI, 5G and VR. At Intel, we not only see a world of infinite possibilities where technology makes our lives easier, we see a future where technology makes the world a better place.”