Automakers like Ford, GM, Volvo and Tesla made major strides in 2016 for autonomous vehicle technology, and are closer to making driverless cars a reality for the average consumer. Meanwhile, Uber made news when they introduced self-driving fleets to the public. While driverless cars may not be pulling into most driveways in the immediate future, it’s clear the race is on.

The technologies currently available to or being developed for the automotive industry are staggering. With these advancements comes the need to examine the types of processing units appropriate to power the autonomous vehicle electronics functionality.

Generally speaking, the basic structure of an automobile hasn’t changed for decades: four wheels, engine, radio, doors, hood, etc. But, what has changed considerably are automotive electronics. Since the 1970s, electronics have gone from about 5% of the bill of materials (BOM) to over 35% when electric vehicles and hybrids are factored into the equation.