Tesla
- AMD's CEO said the company made the computer chips that power Tesla's new in-car gaming system.
- Elon Musk has said the system will have processing power that's similar to the Playstation 5.
- The new gaming system is expected to debut later this month when Tesla releases its Model S Plaid.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
AMD – the company known for making the computer chips that power the Playstation 5, as well as Xbox Series X and S – announced on Tuesday that it worked with Tesla on its infotainment system.
The system will have gaming-console-quality graphics with processing power just below Sony's PS5, AMD CEO Lisa Su said during the company's annual Computex keynote.
"We look forward to giving gamers a great platform for AAA gaming," Su said.
She also said that higher-powered processors would only kick in when the infotainment system was running the AAA games that require more power, which would allow the systems to save battery power when playing games that require less processing power.
In January, Tesla announced its upgraded Model X and S cars would come with a new high-powered gaming system that would rival top gaming consoles like Playstation and Xbox. The company's website said the system would have up to 10 teraflops of power, just 0.3 teraflops shy of the PS5's processing power. Su confirmed that the chips which incorporate CPU and GPU into a single chip would have up to 10 teraflops of processing power.
The games can be played on two Tesla screens in the new Model S Plaid, which is expected to be released later this month. There is a 17-inch screen at the front of the vehicle, as well as a smaller rear screen for passengers.
On Saturday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the new car would start deliveries on June 10. The car's release was delayed by several months due to the global shortage of computer chips that power the gaming console, as well as the vehicle's navigation system, Autopilot, and bluetooth, to name a few.
Last month, Musk told investors at the company's quarterly meeting that pandemic supply-chain issues had caused "insane difficulties" for Tesla. Tesla is even reportedly toying with the idea of buying chips for its cars in advance.
Last month, AMD said it anticipates at least another six months of video game chip shortages.
It won't be the first Tesla to feature video games. Musk has been bolstering the gaming opportunities in his electric cars for years, but it will be the first car to essentially become a sophisticated video gaming console on wheels.