Waymo Develops Custom 5nm Chip for Robotaxis

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., announced the development of a custom 5-nanometer application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip for its robotaxis. The purpose-built hardware is designed to optimize low-latency performance, enabling vehicles to process raw sensor data and execute driving commands more rapidly.

Waymo stated the chip delivers over 1,000 trillions of operations per second (TOPS), a performance level comparable to the latest systems from Nvidia Corp. This transition reduces the company's dependence on third-party suppliers such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc., aligning with a broader Alphabet strategy to control AI computing infrastructure costs.

The custom silicon is being integrated into the latest generation of robotaxis, including vehicles launched with Zeekr, an arm of Geely Automobile Holdings. To scale the technology, Waymo continues to partner with Samsung and Micron, while TSMC manufactures the chip using its 5-nanometer process.