Trucking tech evolution: from paper logs to autonomous trucking

“A few years ago some of these trucks had data center components sitting in the back,” Tahir said. Over time those server farms shrank to the size of college dorm refrigerators.

“Until we had the kinds of capability in an embedded platform, you could really start integrating,” Tahir said. “We’re going from single-digit TOPS to hundreds, sometimes thousands of TOPS.”

Modern Level 4 systems can run more than 20 cameras alongside four to six lidar units and a similar number of radars. Fusing all that data often creates what one AMD customer called “almost a bigger compute problem than doing the actual AI.”

Automotive-grade standards

Automotive chips must meet strict requirements. These include AEC-Q100 standards for temperature durability and ASIL B or ASIL D functional safety. Regulators such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) will not certify systems built on consumer-grade components.

“Yes, they come to us and they say, guys, we cannot scale this server farm,” Tahir said. “Number one, it’s too costly. Number two, it’s too power-hungry. Number three, it’s not gonna meet the safety and security regulatory requirements.”

AMD has shipped more than 300 million devices into the automotive space over two decades. More than half of those went into Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications.

AI momentum and hard lessons

The explosive arrival of ChatGPT accelerated the industry’s understanding of AI’s true potential. Vision-language-action models now power perception systems in autonomous trucks. Tahir expects agentic AI experiences to become standard inside vehicles, just as they have on phones and PCs.

Companies also learned difficult lessons about moving too fast. Tahir pointed to the major consolidation wave that swept through robotaxi and autonomous trucking companies around 2022. Many firms had impressive proof-of-concept systems but lacked viable business models.

“It’s easier to go to the moon than it is to build an autonomous truck,” Tahir said. “Everyone understands how challenging this is.”

The cabless future

Purpose-built designs that eliminate the cab entirely represent the next major frontier. Zoox already operates steering-wheel-free robotaxis in Las Vegas. Tahir believes autonomous trucking will follow a similar path once public comfort levels rise, although he cautioned against rushing the transition.

“You do these things too quickly and you end up getting a backlash,” he said. “You don’t want to be the one that was like, oh yeah, we’re moving so fast and not being responsible about it.”