Hyundai wants robots that can think locally, not just stream their brains from the cloud like a subscription service. Enter DEEPX, a Korean AI chip startup expanding its partnership with Hyundai to build an on-device computing platform for generative-AI robots.
What happened
DEEPX says it will work with Hyundai Motor Group on a platform using its second-generation low-power chips, with its DX-M2 chips slated for volume production later next year using Samsung Electronics' 2-nanometer process. DEEPX executives also described an ongoing funding round ahead of a potential IPO.
Why it matters
Robots that run more AI on-device can reduce latency and dependence on connectivity. DEEPX argues lower power draw also helps avoid overheating in energy-hungry humanoid systems, a very real problem that marketing videos politely ignore.
Context
The report says DEEPX already has chips used in Hyundai's four-wheeled delivery robots, and frames the expanded work as part of Hyundai's broader robotics push. In other words, Hyundai is building an ecosystem, and the ecosystem wants efficient silicon.
Droid Brief Take: The robot revolution is increasingly a chip thermals story. Your humanoid won't replace you if it has to take a heat break every 12 minutes like a Victorian aristocrat.
Key takeaways
- On-device platform: DEEPX says it is expanding work with Hyundai to develop on-device computing for generative-AI robots, aiming to run more capability locally rather than relying on external connectivity.
- DX-M2 roadmap: The next-gen DX-M2 chips are planned for volume production later next year, and the report says Samsung's 2-nanometer process is involved, pointing at a serious manufacturing track instead of a slide deck.
- Power and heat constraints: DEEPX claims its chips are lower power and cheaper than Nvidia Jetson Orin class hardware, and argues this helps prevent overheating in humanoid systems, which is a practical limiter on real deployment.
Source: ETAuto (Reuters)