SHANGHAI – Not only news on four wheels at the Shanghai 2021 Motor Show. On the prestigious Chinese catwalk, the ZF Group presented the new generation of its ProAI, “currently the most flexible, scalable and powerful super-computer in the world for the automotive sector”, according to in the words of Holger Klein, ZF Board Member for the Asia-Pacific region. Designed to meet the requirements of software-defined vehicles and their new electrical / electronic architectures, this high-performance computer with artificial intelligence (AI) can act as a central, zone or domain controller. It is suitable for any type of vehicle and at all levels of automated or autonomous driving, from Level 2 to Level 5, and will go into series production at the latest in 2024.
“The several major orders we have received for our high-performance computing platform confirm our pioneering position in driving the intelligent vehicle industry,” he continues. Holger Klein. “By offering high computing power, state-of-the-art software solutions, intelligent sensors and smart actuators from a single source, ZF creates new opportunities for next-generation mobility related to data-driven business models.”
ZF ProAI has been updated in many respects. In addition to the best computing performance (up to 66% more teraOPS), it consumes up to 70% less energy (on average 3 teraOPS per Watt). Its artificial intelligence capabilities are optimized for deep-learning processes, further improving the ability to offer advanced security features: the board combines all available data from sensors, including environmental measurement data, 360 ° through the GPU obtained from radar, LiDAR, cameras and audio patterns. In addition, it saves installation space.
Even considering the different modes available for cooling (passive, air and liquid cooling, depending on the desired performance), most of the ZF ProAI models will ship in the same standard 24x14x5cm housing.
The modular configuration allows the super-computer to be equipped with System-on-Chip (SoC) variants from different manufacturers, to obtain the customer’s preferred solution. Likewise, you may use ZF software or that of other developers or third party suppliers. Standardized connectors and the ability to interconnect multiple ZF ProAI units allow flexibility of use and installation in any type of vehicle.
But that is not all. ZF is also currently developing the world‘s first driverless parking system, based only on the vehicle’s sensor set and independent of a pre-mapped parking infrastructure. At Auto Shanghai 2021, ZF demonstrated Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (vSLAM) technology to the public to locate with centimeter accuracy and generate maps in real time. The sensor set is mainly based on a front camera, a front radar, four perimeter cameras and twelve ultrasounds, but is scalable with more advanced sensors and with connectivity.
“The entire system was developed in China and will debut for a Chinese automaker in late 2022,” said Renee Wang, President of ZF China and Senior Vice President of Operations for the Asia-Pacific region. “We believe this infrastructure independent ZF automated parking system will be a cost-effective solution for many global OEMs.”
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