Over the past year or so, we came across a few reports suggesting that Samsung is trying to become a camera supplier for the world's largest EV (electric vehicle) manufacturer, Tesla. The Korean tech giant finally put an end to speculations today and confirmed that it is, indeed, in talks with Tesla.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics says it is in contact with the EV maker as a potential camera supplier. However, talks appear to be preliminary, and the tech giant wasn't able to reveal any details about the size of the contract.
Samsung did confirm in a regulatory filing that it continues working on “advancing and diversifying its camera modules.” (via Reuters)
Last year, Samsung launched its first camera sensor for automobiles, the ISOCELL Auto 4AC. Last year still, industry reports suggested that Samsung may have struck a $436 million deal with Tesla to supply the EV maker with cameras for the Tesla Cybertruck.
And earlier this year, another report indicated that Samsung Electro-Mechanics won the Cybertruck camera contract and beat LG Innotek to it. The latter company then confirmed it did not participate in the auction.
Today, Samsung finally spilled the beans on its relationship with Tesla, but whether or not their camera deal is worth $436 million is unknown. Likewise, the recent Reuters report doesn't specify whether Tesla will use Samsung cameras for the upcoming Cybertruck or other EVs.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said that the Cybertruck is targeted for production in mid-2023. At the same time, he also mentioned that the mid-2023 timeframe might be a bit “optimistic.”
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