Intel Launches GO Auto Brand, Readies 5G Modem

Intel Corp. debuted a new automotive brand and announced plans to launch a 5G modem chip this week at the CES electronics show in Las Vegas.

5G systems can operate at speeds of 5 gigabits per second—more than 10 times as fast as current 4G LTE modems. Intel says the speedier chips offer low latency frame structures, advanced channel coding and increased MIMO (multiple input, multiple output).

Intel's new GO brand will encompass software and hardware related to advanced telematics, cloud computing and self-driving vehicles. Products include development kits based on Intel’s next-generation Atom and Xeon processors and a new 5G-ready development platform for automated driving systems.

The GO 5G automated driving platform can be used in the development of various sensor, perception and decision-making systems, according to Intel. It says the platform has “deep learning” capability that will allow carmakers to develop and test a wide range of uses and applications ranging from smartphones and internet routers to self-driving cars and smart cities.

The 5G transceiver and chip pairs can transmit over high-frequency 28-GHz bands and sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave spectrums that are being tested in different countries. Intel has been field-testing a 5G trial platform for about a year and will begin offering manufacturing samples of the new chip in the second half of 2017.

Rival Qualcomm Technologies Inc., which unveiled its own 5G modem last October, also plans to offer samples later this year. But widespread availability of 5G systems isn’t expected until at least 2020. That's when cellular carriers upgrade their networks and roll out compatible services. 3GPP, the global industry trade group that helps set mobile standards, continues to develop 5G technical specifications.