According to a new report, Apple is developing chip modules and packages that would give the Apple Car autonomous driving capabilities. It achieved the feat in collaboration with a South Korean outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) company.

According to The Elec, Apple’s project with the OSAT firm began last year and should conclude in 2023. For the unversed, an OSAT firm is usually a component supplier that offers clients services such as semiconductor development, assembly, packaging, and testing. The report claims that Apple’s chip for autonomous driving capability is expected to resemble those used by Tesla. Such chips usually integrate a neural processing unit (NPU), CPU, GPU, RAM, and a camera interface for AI computation tasks.

The report adds that Apple’s regional offices in South Korea are overseeing the project. The offices received the bill of materials for the project and chose to proceed with the South Korean OSAT firm for development and order fulfillment. This order is not for the final chip that would be the brains of the Apple Car but for modules that would be incorporated in the vehicle. Although the report doesn’t confirm which firm Apple is working with, it says Tesla worked with South Korean firm STAS ChipPAC Korea Ltd. to develop its autopilot module, and Apple is “taking a similar route.”

The approach resembles Apple’s development process for the M1 chip. Individual modules were developed as standalone processors for testing and eventually integrated into a single chip. Apple has reportedly been selecting suppliers for its Apple Car project since December 2021. The chip development work is now expected to finish in 2023. Meanwhile, suppliers will reportedly be identified by the end of 2022, followed by the commencement of mass-production testing.

Development reports of the Apple Car are shrouded in mystery but reputed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the Apple Car would be ready for launch around 2025 or 2027. Contradictorily, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple targets a 2025 launch. Are you excited about the Apple Car? Tell us in the comments.