Marelli launches AI-powered control unit for enhanced motorsport vehicle management

Marelli has introduced its latest AI-based Electronic Control Unit, the VEC_480, designed to manage engine and vehicle control in motorsport across a range of propulsion types, from traditional engines to electric systems. The VEC_480 is engineered to support real-time AI computation onboard and will debut at the Professional MotorSport World Expo in Cologne, Germany, on November 13 and 14.

The VEC_480 represents Marelli's advancement in Vehicle Control Units (VCUs), providing increased computational power and connectivity to meet motorsport's evolving demands. Compared to previous VCUs, it offers enhanced performance, with real-time computing capabilities 2.5 times higher, inter-processor bandwidth improved by 10 times, and a higher RAM memory bandwidth, contributing to greater reliability in managing essential vehicle functions. VCUs serve as multi-functional control units that integrate engine and chassis control, data logging, telemetry, cloud gateways, and in-car networking within a single system.

Developed with Marelli Motorsport’s expertise in vehicle control, the VEC_480 is optimized for managing neural algorithms in milliseconds, utilizing an advanced AI Accelerator (NPU) with up to 26 TOPS (Tera Operations per Second) capacity. This AI-powered capability facilitates functions such as internal vehicle networking, engine management, and real-time AI applications. The accelerator enables neural virtual sensors, data inference, real-time video processing, track and object detection, localization, performance and predictive analysis, and voice recognition. The technology is compatible with leading AI frameworks, including TensorFlow, TensorFlow Lite, Keras, PyTorch, and ONNX.

Marelli Motorsport will showcase the VEC_480 along with other advanced technologies at the Professional MotorSport World Expo, Hall 10.01, booth 3064. The company aims to advance motorsport technology with innovations that can later be adapted to passenger car applications, leveraging a streamlined and efficient design process.