What’s Happening: Cepton, Inc., a leader in high-performance lidar solutions, has announced the release of Komodo, its in-house developed lidar point cloud processor ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) chip. Production-ready Komodo is expected to begin shipping in Q2 2023.
Why It Matters: The introduction of Komodo further solidifies Cepton’s position in the lidar industry, as the chip significantly improves point cloud quality while dramatically reducing costs. This development is crucial for mass-market lidar adoption in future vehicles, helping the company achieve the price points necessary for automotive OEMs.
Key Points:
- Superior performance: Komodo is faster than the FPGA and merchant silicon chips it replaces, enhancing point cloud quality for higher resolution and enabling more accurate object detection and tracking at longer distances.
- Minimal power consumption: Komodo consumes under a watt of power, making it more power-efficient than the FPGA and merchant silicon chips.
- 10x cost reduction: Compared to the FPGA and merchant silicon chips, Komodo enables over ten times cost reduction, achieving an unrivaled cost-performance ratio for Cepton lidars.
- Significantly smaller form factor: Komodo’s small footprint and high performance facilitate streamlined electrical and optical design.
- Automotive-grade reliability: Komodo incorporates a built-in functional safety monitor that is ISO26262 ASIL-B certified.
- Sensor fusion readiness: Komodo facilitates lidar-camera data fusion and communication with control units.
Bottom Line: Cepton’s Komodo ASIC chip is a game-changer for the lidar industry, as it offers improved performance, minimal power consumption, and significant cost reductions. By replacing FPGA and merchant silicon devices, Komodo increases the scalability of Cepton’s lidar solutions and paves the way for mass-market lidar adoption in future vehicles.
