TI steps up autonomous vehicle drive

LAS VEGAS — Texas Instruments (TI) expanded its automotive portfolio at CES 2026, introducing new chips and development tools aimed at advancing vehicle autonomy, safety, and in-car connectivity across multiple vehicle segments.

The company said the new offerings focus on three areas critical to next-generation vehicles. These include high-performance computing for artificial intelligence, improved radar sensing, and simplified Ethernet-based networking inside vehicles. TI said the technologies are designed for use across entry-level to premium models.

At the center of the announcement is the new TDA5 family of automotive system-on-a-chip processors. TI said the chips support centralized vehicle computing and real-time AI workloads used in advanced driver assistance systems. 

The TDA5 family delivers computing performance from 10 to 1200 trillion operations per second, depending on configuration. TI said this range allows automakers to deploy a single processor family across different vehicle programs, including models that support up to Society of Automotive Engineers Level 3 automated driving.

TI said the TDA5 processors use a chiplet-ready design that allows manufacturers to scale features without redesigning the full system. 

The chips integrate the latest generation of the company’s neural processing unit, which provides up to 12 times more AI performance than previous generations at similar power levels. TI said this design reduces heat output and limits the need for additional thermal hardware.

The processors also integrate Arm Cortex-A720AE CPU cores and support cross-domain computing. TI said the chips can run advanced driver assistance, infotainment, and gateway functions on a single device. 

The company added that the processors are designed to meet Automotive Safety Integrity Level D requirements without external safety components.

To support vehicle software development, TI said it is working with Synopsys to provide a Virtualizer development kit for the TDA5 family. The company said the virtual development environment allows engineers to test and validate software earlier in the design process and can shorten development timelines by up to a year.

TI also introduced the AWR2188 4D imaging radar transceiver. The device integrates eight transmit and eight receive channels into a single chip. 

According to TI, the design removes the need to cascade multiple radar chips to achieve higher resolution, which simplifies system layout and reduces component count.

The company said the radar transceiver delivers faster analog-to-digital conversion and improved signal processing compared with existing solutions. 

The device supports object detection beyond 350 meters and enables advanced use cases such as distinguishing closely spaced vehicles, detecting road debris, and identifying objects in complex driving environments.

TI said the radar chip supports both centralized and distributed vehicle architectures. The company added that the design allows automakers to deploy advanced radar features across a wider range of vehicles.

In vehicle networking, TI unveiled the DP83TD555J-Q1 10BASE-T1S Ethernet physical layer device. The chip extends Ethernet connectivity to vehicle edge nodes while reducing wiring complexity. TI said the device supports time synchronization at the nanosecond level and includes Power over Data Line capability.

The company said Ethernet plays a growing role in software-defined vehicles as data volumes increase and vehicle architectures shift to zonal designs. TI said its Ethernet solution supports unified in-vehicle networks that carry sensor, control, and diagnostic data over fewer cables.

The new chips, TI said,  complement its existing automotive portfolio, which includes sensing, processing, and networking products. The company said the expanded lineup is intended to help automakers raise safety and automation levels across their fleets.

TI is showcasing the new technologies at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. Samples of the first TDA5 processor are expected to reach select automotive customers by the end of 2026. Preproduction versions of the radar and Ethernet devices are currently available.