BMW, Intel, and Mobileye bring auto parts supplier Delphi into their self-driving car initiative
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch :
Context & Ripple Effects
The BMW–Intel–Mobileye collaboration, confirmed by sources in mid-2016, gained structure through fall: Mobileye and supplier Delphi had already agreed on a turnkey autonomous system targeted for 2019 shipment to automakers, and Intel followed with a dedicated Automated Driving Group under Doug Davis in November.
Bringing Delphi formally into the initiative closes the loop between those threads — the sensor and chip layer (Mobileye, Intel) now has an established Tier-1 parts supplier attached to handle vehicle-grade integration, which is what makes the platform sellable to carmakers rather than just demonstrable.
First-order effects
- Delphi moves from bilateral partner (its 2019 turnkey system deal with Mobileye) to full member of the three-way alliance, giving it a direct stake in the platform's design rather than a downstream integration contract.
Second-order effects
- The alliance now spans automaker, chipmaker, sensor-software maker, and parts supplier — pressure mounts on rival OEMs and suppliers to either join or build competing stacks, a path Fiat Chrysler took months later when it joined BMW's partnership.
Third-order effects
- If membership keeps expanding along these lines, self-driving development consolidates into multi-company platforms with shared data and components — echoing the safety-data-sharing model BMW already tested with Toyota and Allianz via its Nauto investment — leaving standalone programs as the exception.
The trend: Autonomous driving is shifting from solo OEM projects toward open supplier-and-chipmaker alliances, where each new member widens the platform's reach across the vehicle supply chain.