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Trump’s tariffs could knock Tesla’s Autopilot off course – TechCrunch techcrunch.com/2019/05/03/tru…
The self-driving hardware lives within the Autopilot ECU (or engine control unit), a module that Tesla describes as the “brain of the vehicle.” This module is assembled in Shanghai, China, by a company called Quanta Computer.
But on March 15, the USTR’s general counsel informed Tesla that it was denying the company’s request because it “concerns a product strategically important or related to ‘Made in China 2025’ or other Chinese industrial programs.”
Ah, yes. Tesla was unable to find a [U.S.] manufacturer with the requisite expertise to produce the Autopilot ECU 3.0 with the required specifications, at the volume requested and under the timelines necessary for Tesla’s continued growth.
Us officials clueless? Tesla also pointed out that more than 75% of the value of new computer’s PCB actually originates from outside of China.i.e. Tesla’s new cutting-edge neural network chips, which are a critical piece of Autopilot 3.0, are being made by Samsung in Texas.
Brilliant. Use tariffs to undermine the leading US car tech company.
These tariffs detract from our continuous growth and sustainability in a very difficult industry,” wrote Tesla.
These tariffs detract from our continuous growth and sustainability in a very difficult industry,” wrote Tesla.
The tariffs could even disrupt Tesla’s ongoing research into artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision, it fears.
Globalization. China is the place...U.S. companies headed down the China road for board assembly about 25 years ago and never looked back. Component suppliers followed, and now China has a heft for high-volume electronics that no country can match.
