indie Semiconductor, Inc. (Nasdaq: INDI), a key player in Autotech solutions, has disclosed its strategic investment in Expedera Inc., a leading provider of scalable Neural Processing Unit (NPU) semiconductor intellectual property (IP). The focus of this collaboration is to develop customized artificial intelligence (AI) enabled processing capabilities specifically tailored for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) within the automotive sector.
Forecasts from S&P Mobility suggest that by 2029, over 50 percent of vehicles will integrate Level 2 and above driver automation capabilities, presenting a substantial $28 billion ADAS semiconductor opportunity. This trend is largely driven by safety regulations and New Car Assessment Programs (NCAP), which mandate the deployment of ADAS systems equipped with high-performance, power-efficient AI-based object detection and perception processing. Such functionalities include Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Automated Emergency Braking (AEB), and Driver and Occupant Monitoring (DMS/OMS).
Expedera’s Origin NPU solutions are anticipated to bolster indie’s expanding multi-modal ADAS silicon and software portfolio by integrating advanced Neural Network (NN) processing capabilities. Origin’s unique packet-based architecture offers deterministic performance and efficient power, area, and memory resource utilization for on-chip NN processing, differing from traditional layer-based approaches. The partnership aims to deliver scalable NPU single-core performance capabilities exceeding 100 TOPS to indie’s portfolio.
Da Chuang, co-founder, and CEO of Expedera expressed optimism about the collaboration, stating, “Our mission has always been to deliver best-in-market NPU solutions alongside premier partners, which is why we are thrilled to welcome this new strategic investment and commercial agreement with indie.”
Donald McClymont, indie co-founder, and CEO acknowledged Expedera’s track record, stating, “Since its founding in 2018, Expedera has established itself as a best-in-class, field-proven NPU solution provider.” He further added, “As we explored the AI opportunity within the automotive market, it became evident that Expedera’s highly innovative solutions are ideally suited to enhance indie’s ADAS portfolio with customized, high-performance neural processing capabilities. We are excited to collaborate with Expedera and bring unprecedented AI-enabled sensing solutions to indie’s global customer base.”
As part of the minority investment, Donald McClymont will join Expedera’s Board of Directors.