Full Self-Driving Hardware 4.0 Is More Different Than Anticipated
As Tesla prepares to launch Full Self-Driving Hardware 4.0, an in-depth look reveals that it could be a major upgrade from the current-generation Hardware 3.0.
The first and most important news is that Tesla has entirely changed the design and form factor of the hardware, which reaffirms that Tesla won’t be able to offer retrofits to vehicles with Hardware 3.0 as it has with Hardware 2.0/2.5.
Tesla is also now combining its Media Control Unit into the same piece of hardware, offering the AMD Ryzen CPU/GPU platform along with 256GB of NVMe flash memory and 16GB of RAM within the integrated enclosure.
This indicates that Tesla will no longer be able to offer retrofits for the Media Control Unit that powers the infotainment system either.
Per an analysis courtesy of greentheonly on Twitter, Hardware 4.0 offers “a lot less improvement than many hoped for”:
- Still Samsung Exynos-based.
- CPU cores increased from 12 to 20 in five clusters of four cores each, maxing at 2.35GHz and idle at 1.37GHz.
- Number of TRIP cores increased from 2 to 3, with a 2.2GHz max frequency.
- Total performance capability is 2x the above specifications, as Tesla uses two SoC’s per board. However, power consumption has increased across the board.
- Improvements to security, with higher-level encryption.
- More symmetrical chip design with two identical power connections on each side, offering a greater level of redundancy for both the Full Self-Driving hardware and the Media Control Unit.
As Elon Musk has iterated, Hardware 4.0 should be roughly twice as capable as Hardware 3.0 — or 500%-600% better than a human as opposed to 200%-300%.
There are now connections for twelve cameras, with one labeled as ‘spare’, as opposed to the current suite of eight cameras. It’s expected that Tesla will add 1–3 additional cameras.
While not included as part of the hardware analysis, Tesla is also expected to upgrade the 1.2-megapixel camera sensors to 5-megapixel sensors.
Additionally, there is a connector for a new triband GPS module that appears to be “somewhat custom.”
There’s also a connector for a Phoenix radar module, as well as a separate radar heater.
Phoenix should accomplish Tesla’s goal of only re-integrating radar once it becomes possible to build a superior radar module. The radar will offer four-dimensional depth perception and roughly twice the range of Tesla’s previous solutions, while superseding or supplementing Tesla Vision.
It’s being speculated that Tesla will launch Hardware 4.0 on Model X and Model S vehicles currently being built with the upgraded hardware suite, then carry it through to Cybertruck, a refreshed Model 3, and Model Y throughout the year. An official announcement will likely be made on or around Investor Day on March 1.
This is frankly more comprehensive than we had expected, and presents a thoughtful all-in-one solution.
In summation, the entirety of the Hardware 4.0 upgrade offers:
- Integrated hardware for Full Self-Driving and the Media Control Unit, which remains the same capable Ryzen-based architecture.
- Full Self-Driving hardware that’s roughly twice as powerful with greater power consumption, while offering additional security and redundancies for a more consistent, reliable experience.
- Up to 12 higher-resolution cameras, as opposed to the current suite of 8.
- A potentially-proprietary GPS module.
- The devolvement of Tesla Vision with a next-generation radar sensor.
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