• AI memory shortage is now increasing the price of cars

    From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Friday, July 24, 2026 01:04:09
    Who knew that electronic parts are now making up an appreciable part
    of the cost of a car <https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/ai-memory-shortage-is-now-increasing-the-price-of-cars-gm-warns-of-vast-cost-increases-byd-hikes-driver-assistance-prices-20-percent>:

    Micron said in 2023 that the average vehicle used 90GB of DRAM and
    NAND, and it?s expecting this combined requirement to jump to
    278GB by 2026, with high-end models requiring up to 2TB. A British
    OEM broke down the memory requirements of vehicles released this
    year ? infotainment systems require between 4GB and 16GB, ADAS and
    safety systems need 8GB to 32GB, while centralized systems often
    have a minimum requirement of 16GB and could go as high as 64GB or
    more.

    This is even before you get into self-driving capability and other
    AI-type features:

    And as AI assistants start becoming available on cars, these
    systems will require at least 256GB of memory. In fact, Micron
    predicts that cars with level 4 autonomy will need at least 300GB
    of RAM, as they?re essentially supercomputers on wheels.

    Of course, these are all special ruggedized electronic components,
    built to withstand the more hostile conditions inside a vehicle, as
    opposed to a home or office environment.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Oregonian Haruspex@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, July 25, 2026 05:02:33
    New cars have been awful for decades. They keep getting worse, too.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From John McCue@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, July 25, 2026 15:55:49
    Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    Who knew that electronic parts are now making up an appreciable part
    of the cost of a car <https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/ai-memory-shortage-is-now-increasing-the-price-of-cars-gm-warns-of-vast-cost-increases-byd-hikes-driver-assistance-prices-20-percent>:
    <snip>

    To bad they cannot go back and build cars the same
    way they did in the 70s and 80s. No computers and
    very easy to fix :)

    --
    [t]csh(1) - "An elegant shell, for a more... civilized age."
    - Paraphrasing Star Wars

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, July 25, 2026 14:10:14
    John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    Who knew that electronic parts are now making up an appreciable part
    of the cost of a car
    <https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/ai-memory-shortage-is-now-increasing-the-price-of-cars-gm-warns-of-vast-cost-increases-byd-hikes-driver-assistance-prices-20-percent>:

    To bad they cannot go back and build cars the same
    way they did in the 70s and 80s. No computers and
    very easy to fix :)

    You ever had to do a carb rebuild? There are times when I would rather
    fight with computers. Don't get me started on synchronizing multiple carbs.
    Or vacuum advance issues....
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, July 25, 2026 22:35:25
    On Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:55:49 -0000 (UTC), John McCue wrote:

    To bad they cannot go back and build cars the same way they did in
    the 70s and 80s.

    They do
    <https://morgan-motor.com/our-story/21st-century-coach-building/>. But
    who wants to buy them?

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, July 26, 2026 08:25:22
    Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:55:49 -0000 (UTC), John McCue wrote:

    To bad they cannot go back and build cars the same way they did in
    the 70s and 80s.

    They do
    <https://morgan-motor.com/our-story/21st-century-coach-building/>. But
    who wants to buy them?

    Oh, I would LOVE to buy a Morgan. Note that although Morgan is still
    making coachbuilt bodies, they are using modern Ford engines with Getrag transmissions so you're back to OBD-II diagnostics and dealing with
    computers and feedback loops.

    For a while, Morgan was talking about selling a 4/4 with an electric
    induction motor but keeping the Getrag. They made a prototype but
    didn't get enough interest. Car and Driver said it was fun to drive,
    though.

    Morgan is backordered years on the 4/4 and they are definitely not cheap.
    So clearly some people with money want to buy them.
    --scott


    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Alfter@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 17:05:26
    In article <1142u66$cii$1@panix2.panix.com>,
    Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
    John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    To bad they cannot go back and build cars the same
    way they did in the 70s and 80s. No computers and
    very easy to fix :)

    You ever had to do a carb rebuild? There are times when I would rather
    fight with computers.

    The difficulty of rebuilding a carburetor is overrated. Whether it's a
    dinky 1-bbl off a generator or a Quadrajet atop an Olds 350, if you're methodical in your work, it's usually a simple and straightforward job to disassemble the whole thing, clean off the accumulated grime and varnish,
    and put it back together with new gaskets and (maybe) a new float and needle valve.

    Last one I did was just a couple months ago on the aforementioned generator, which I'd let sit with ethanol-adulterated fuel a bit too long after a
    campout. I'll admit to just buying a whole new carburetor for it (only
    about $30 on Amazon), but I ended up having to swap the throttle stepper
    motor between old and new because the wiring didn't match between them. I
    kept the old carb afterward...might clean it out and keep it as a spare.

    --
    _/_
    / v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
    (IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
    \_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Rich@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 01:36:07
    Scott Alfter <scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us> wrote:
    In article <1142u66$cii$1@panix2.panix.com>,
    Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
    John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> wrote:
    To bad they cannot go back and build cars the same
    way they did in the 70s and 80s. No computers and
    very easy to fix :)

    You ever had to do a carb rebuild? There are times when I would rather >>fight with computers.

    The difficulty of rebuilding a carburetor is overrated. Whether it's a
    dinky 1-bbl off a generator or a Quadrajet atop an Olds 350, if you're methodical in your work, it's usually a simple and straightforward job to disassemble the whole thing, clean off the accumulated grime and varnish,
    and put it back together with new gaskets and (maybe) a new float and needle valve.

    Yeah, the perceived difficulty is usually inversely proportional to the jobber's experience in rebuilding them. Years ago I'd take apart and reassemble lawnmower carbs just to clean them out enough to get the
    dang thing to start after a winter over. I never considered doing so
    as being any great big deal at all.

    Nowadays I just plug in the ego battery, and the mower spins up when
    the handle is pulled. :) Which I'll admit is easier overall than the takeapart and reassemble job was.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Librarian2025@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, August 01, 2026 16:23:33

    Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

    Who knew that electronic parts are now making up an appreciable part
    of the cost of a car <https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/ai-memory-shortage-is-now-increasing-the-price-of-cars-gm-warns-of-vast-cost-increases-byd-hikes-driver-assistance-prices-20-percent>:

    Micron said in 2023 that the average vehicle used 90GB of DRAM and
    NAND, and it?s expecting this combined requirement to jump to
    278GB by 2026, with high-end models requiring up to 2TB. A British
    OEM broke down the memory requirements of vehicles released this
    year ? infotainment systems require between 4GB and 16GB, ADAS and
    safety systems need 8GB to 32GB, while centralized systems often
    have a minimum requirement of 16GB and could go as high as 64GB or
    more.

    This is even before you get into self-driving capability and other
    AI-type features:

    And as AI assistants start becoming available on cars, these
    systems will require at least 256GB of memory. In fact, Micron
    predicts that cars with level 4 autonomy will need at least 300GB
    of RAM, as they?re essentially supercomputers on wheels.

    Of course, these are all special ruggedized electronic components,
    built to withstand the more hostile conditions inside a vehicle, as
    opposed to a home or office environment.

    Up to 2TB of DRAM, without AI? Something tells me they didn't care about optimization at all.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)