Comma.ai Ships Chestnut eGPU Dock to Run Larger Driving Models
Chestnut lets the comma four run a new class of openpilot models with 30 times the parameters and 100 times the FLOPs, which Comma.ai expects will accelerate development speed.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Comma.ai released Chestnut, an eGPU dock that connects a desktop GPU to the comma four onboard computer. The dock raises the power limit from about 10W to 100W, allowing openpilot to run larger AI models. The dock-only version is $249, and a bundle with an AMD Radeon RX 9060 is $799.
The dock is installed in the passenger footwell or under the passenger seat, with a cable routed to the comma four and a connection to the car's 12V power supply. The first model in the new Chestnut-class series ships in openpilot 0.11.2, and Comma.ai said its development team will focus on maximizing the performance of this class of models.
Comma.ai expects the combination of comma four and Chestnut to provide computing power comparable to Tesla's HW4 platform. The dock-only 'tiny chestnut' costs $249, while the 'Chestnut ready to drive' bundle with an AMD Radeon RX 9060 8GB, cables, and mounting hardware costs $799. The C language source code for the Chestnut controller firmware has been released on GitHub.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.