Ambarella Inc.

Last updated
Ambarella, Inc.
Company type Public
Industry Semiconductors
FoundedJanuary 15, 2004;20 years ago (2004-01-15)
Founders
  • Feng-Ming (Fermi) Wang
  • Les Kohn
Headquarters
Santa Clara, California
,
United States
Key people
  • Feng-Ming Wang (CEO)
  • Les Kohn (CTO)
  • Casey Eichler (CFO)
  • Alberto Broggi (GM VisLab)
RevenueDecrease2.svg US$226 million (2024)
Decrease2.svgUS$−155 million (2024)
Decrease2.svgUS$−169 million (2024)
Total assets Decrease2.svgUS$658 million (2024)
Total equity Decrease2.svgUS$560 million (2024)
Number of employees
915 (2024)
Website ambarella.com
Footnotes /references
Financials as of January 31,2024 [1]
Ambarella A2-A1-RH, used in a camcorder Maginon DV-10Z - board 1 - Ambarella A2-A1-RH-0391.jpg
Ambarella A2-A1-RH, used in a camcorder

Ambarella, Inc. is an American fabless semiconductor design company, [1] focusing on low-power, high-definition (HD) and Ultra HD video compression, image processing, and computer vision processors. [2] Ambarella's products are used in a wide variety of human and computer vision applications, including video security, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic mirror, drive recorder, driver and in-cabin monitoring, autonomous driving, and robotics applications. Ambarella's system on chips (SoCs) are designed to deliver a combination of video compression, image processing, and computer vision performance with low-power operation to enable cameras to extract data from high-resolution video streams.

Contents

History

Ambarella was founded in 2004 by Feng-Ming (Fermi) Wang and Les Kohn with the goal of developing high-definition H.264 video encoders for the professional broadcast market. [3] Soon after, Ambarella applied this same technology to consumer video and security IP camera markets, focusing on the development of low-power, compression-efficient chips capable of producing high-quality imagery in challenging lighting and high-motion environments.

Over the next decade, Ambarella chips appeared in a number of consumer camera products, including the GoPro Hero (up until the Hero 5 series), the Dropcam by Nest, Garmin automotive dash cams [4] [5] and the DJI Phantom series of drones. In professional markets, Ambarella chips were used in high-end broadcasting encoders such as from Harmonic Inc, and in IP cameras for surveillance from companies like Axis Communications and Bosch.

Technology

In January 2022, Ambarella announced its new Artificial Intelligence Image Signal Processor. [6] This AI-based ISP technology is “capable of recording 8K video or four 4K video streams” and “enhances color imagining and applies HDR in ultra-low light conditions.” [7]

Acquisitions and partnerships

In July 2015, Ambarella acquired VisLab, [8] a pioneer in perception systems and autonomous vehicle research founded by Professor Alberto Broggi. VisLab has a history of developing computer vision and intelligent control systems for automotive and commercial applications, including ADAS and autonomous vehicles. Subsequent generations of Ambarella SoCs incorporated VisLab perception technologies at the hardware level, with the goal of targeting automotive OEM camera designs across all of SAE’s six levels of driving automation [9] (ranging from fully manual to fully automated or “steering wheel optional”).

In November 2021, the company purchased Oculii, a software development company focused on improving “the resolution of radars in self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles." [10]

In June 2022, Ambarella Inc. and Inceptio Technology announced their partnership. Incepto chose four of Ambarella's CVflow SoCs for its automotive-grade central computing platform. [11] Ambarella’s SoCs technology provides simultaneous power processing for “seven 8MP cameras, including AI compute, for surround camera perception and front ADAS safety features like collision avoidance. [11]

In November 2022, Ambarella and elnfochips partnered to design a new line of AI camera products. [12] [13]

In January 2023, Ambarella and Continental announced to partner in the field of AI-based software and hardware systems on the CES 2023 in Las Vegas. Mainly in the field of advanced driver assistance and highly automated driving. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-driving car</span> Vehicle operated with reduced human input

A self-driving car, also known as an autonomous car (AC), driverless car, robotic car or robo-car, is a car that is capable of operating with reduced or no human input. Self-driving cars are responsible for all driving activities including perceiving the environment, monitoring important systems, and controlling the vehicle, including navigating from origin to destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xilinx</span> American technology company

Xilinx, Inc. was an American technology and semiconductor company that primarily supplied programmable logic devices. The company is known for inventing the first commercially viable field-programmable gate array (FPGA). It also created the first fabless manufacturing model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced driver-assistance system</span> Electronic systems that help a vehicle driver while driving or parking

Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are technologies that assist drivers with the safe operation of a vehicle. Through a human-machine interface, ADAS increase car and road safety. ADAS use automated technology, such as sensors and cameras, to detect nearby obstacles or driver errors, and respond accordingly. ADAS can enable various levels of autonomous driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc.</span>

Integrated Micro-electronics, Inc. provides electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and power semiconductor assembly and test services (SATS) with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Its headquarters is located in Biñan, Laguna.

OmniVision Technologies Inc. is an American subsidiary of Chinese semiconductor device and mixed-signal integrated circuit design house Will Semiconductor. The company designs and develops digital imaging products for use in mobile phones, laptops, netbooks and webcams, security and surveillance cameras, entertainment, automotive and medical imaging systems. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, OmniVision Technologies has offices in the US, Western Europe and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart Eye</span> Swedish artificial intelligence company

Smart Eye AB, is a Swedish artificial intelligence (AI) company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Smart Eye develops Human Insight AI, technology that understands, supports and predicts human behavior in complex environments. Smart Eye develops and deploys several core technologies that help gain insights from subtle and nuanced changes in human behavior, reactions and expressions. These technologies include head tracking, eye tracking, facial expression analysis and Emotion AI, activity and object detection, and multimodal sensor data analysis. 

VisLab is an Italian company working on computer vision and environmental perception for vehicular applications. It was founded in the early 90s as a research laboratory at University of Parma. It started its activities in 1990, with its involvement in the Eureka PROMETHEUS Project. Since then the research group has focused on vehicular applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Broggi</span> Italian computer scientist (born 1966)

Alberto Broggi is General Manager at VisLab srl and a professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Parma in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sensory, Inc.</span>

Sensory, Inc. is an American company which develops software AI technologies for speech, sound and vision. It is based in Santa Clara, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobileye</span> Israeli information technology company

Mobileye Global Inc. is an Israeli autonomous driving company. It is developing self-driving technologies and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) including cameras, computer chips, and software. Mobileye was acquired by Intel in 2017 and went public again in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhonda Software</span>

Rhonda Software is a privately held camera software and hardware design company that produces embedded solutions in the areas of digital image processing, multimedia and connectivity. Rhonda software is used in surveillance applications, action cameras, virtual reality cameras, wearable video recorders, drone cameras, automotive and robotic vision systems and other camera applications.

Nvidia Drive is a computer platform by Nvidia, aimed at providing autonomous car and driver assistance functionality powered by deep learning. The platform was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2015. An enhanced version, the Drive PX 2 was introduced at CES a year later, in January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modar Alaoui</span> Moroccan-American serial entrepreneur

Modar Alaoui is a Moroccan-American serial tech entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley, California in the United States. He is mostly known for his work in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computer Vision technologies. Alaoui is the founder and CEO of Eyeris Technologies, Inc., an artificial intelligence software company for automotive in-cabin sensing AI and sensor fusion technologies inside autonomous vehicles (AV) and highly automated vehicles (HAV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argo AI</span> Autonomous driving technology company

Argo AI LLC was an autonomous driving technology company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was co-founded in 2016 by Bryan Salesky and Peter Rander, veterans of the Google and Uber automated driving programs. Argo AI was an independent company that built software, hardware, maps, and cloud-support infrastructure to power self-driving vehicles. Argo was mostly backed by Ford Motor Co. (2017) and the Volkswagen Group (2020).

Lina J. Karam is a Lebanese-American electrical and computer engineer and inventor. She is an IEEE Fellow. Her areas of work span digital signal processing, image/video processing, compression/coding and transmission, computer vision, machine learning/deep learning, perceptual-based visual processing, and automated mobility. She served as an expert delegate of the ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29 Committee and participated in JPEG/MPEG standardization activities. She served as expert consultant in matters related to Intellectual Property (IP)/Patent Litigation, Image/Video Compression and Streaming, Image/Video Processing, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Autonomous Driving.

aiMotive is an autonomous vehicle technology company. The company aims to work with automotive manufacturers and Tier1s to enable automated technologies. aiMotive describes its approach as "vision-first", a system that primarily relies on cameras and artificial intelligence to detect its surroundings. The technology is designed to be implemented by automobile manufacturers to create autonomous vehicles, which can operate in all conditions and locations. In September 2017, PSA Group teamed up with AImotive.

DeepScale, Inc. was an American technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California, that developed perceptual system technologies for automated vehicles. On October 1, 2019, the company was acquired by Tesla, Inc.

Imagry is an autonomous driving (AD) software provider that has created a mapless driving system. It uses bio-inspired technology that combines real-time vision-based perception and imitation-learning artificial intelligence (AI) for a driving decision-making network that can be installed on passenger cars as well as autonomous buses.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ambarella Inc. Fiscal 2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K)". SEC.gov. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 29 March 2024.
  2. ↑ "AMBA.OQ - Ambarella Inc". www.reuters.com. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  3. ↑ "Forbes Profile: Ambarella". Forbes . Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Garmin Dash Cam 55".
  5. ↑ "Garmin launches four new Bluetooth and WiFi dashcams with Ambarella inside". Facebook .
  6. ↑ "Ambarella introduces new AI-based image signal processor". Green Car Congress. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  7. ↑ Surfaro, Steve (2022-01-26). "Ambarella's New SoC Makes AI Processing a Reality". www.securityinfowatch.com. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  8. ↑ "Ambarella Acquires VisLab, a European Developer of Computer Vision and Intelligent Automotive Control Systems - Ambarella". www.ambarella.com.
  9. ↑ "SAE Levels of Driving Automation".
  10. ↑ Bush, John (2022-01-20). "Dayton technology firm acquired by California company for over $300M". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  11. 1 2 "Inceptio Technology partners with Ambarella to deliver Level 3 automated driving". The Trucker. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  12. ↑ "Ambarella, eInfochips teaming up on AI camera products". www.securityinfowatch.com. 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  13. ↑ "Ambarella and eInfochips team up on AI vision design". www.imveurope.com. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  14. ↑ "Continental and Ambarella Partner On Assisted and Automated Driving Systems With Full Software Stack". www.continental.com. 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.