Very intricate sandwich design
At the beginning of the year, Tesla effectively emphasized that the Model S Plaid’s infotainment system is on the same level as the PlayStation 5 — this is also used on the Model X and S. So far, the company has provided rough baseline data for a “car computer” setup, but ripping off Ingineerix Now allows a more detailed and exciting view of the complex system.
An overview of the components in a Tesla Model S Plaid computer:
- Main Processor: AMD Ryzen YE180FC3T4MFG, 4 cores, 45W Ryzen integrated, 512KB L2 cache per core, 4MB L3 cache
- GPU: AMD Radeon Marked 215-130000026, Custom Radeon 6600M Navi 23
- Digital Signal Processor 1: ADSP-SC587W SHARC + Dual Core with ARM Cortex-A5
- Digital Signal Processor 2: D21584 SHARC + Dual Core with ARM Cortex-A5
- WLAN/BT-Modul: LG Innotek ATC5CPC001
- Cell Modem: Quectel AG525R-GL
- Gate: SPC5748GSMMJ6.0
- Ethernet Adapter: Realtek RTL9068ABD
- Autopilot computer: two processors developed by Tesla
As Ingineerix asserts, the component combines both the hardware of a high-performance infotainment system and a computer that processes signals for “autopilot” functions. Tesla places the component on the passenger side behind a plastic cover under the wiper.
At first glance, the two water-cooling couplings immediately catch the eye. Air cooling will not be enough for a built-in system with a total output of about 350 watts. The LTE modem, designed as a separate unit for easy replacement in other markets, appears on the first circuit board. Also shown: Battery for the gate, power supply components, and RAM modules.
Things get exciting on the back of this board: This is where Tesla puts its NVMe-adaptive Ryzen processor. Interesting detail: The portal, also installed here, uses a 16 GB memory card for its records. There are also three amplifier chipsets with corresponding output filters and two signal processors.
The second board is connected via PCIe and is home to the graphics chip. Tesla is based on a modified Navi-23 chip with up to 8GB of GDDR6 video memory. Hardware takes up the remaining space for cooling: copper heat killers for the CPU and GPU. A large cooling pad is used to separate the computer from the autopilot function, which uses two processors developed by Tesla.
