TechCrunch Mobility: The custom chip driving Waymo’s robotaxi ambitions

Waymo detailed a custom 5 nm ASIC built to process sensor data in its sixth-generation self-driving system before it reaches the vehicle’s main compute stack. The company says the chip delivers more than 1,000 TOPS of performance and is central to making its new Ojai robotaxis cheaper to build, operate, and maintain.

The move shows Waymo is leaning further into vertical integration to control cost, performance, and safety as it scales robotaxi service across dense urban markets. Custom silicon could become a key differentiator in autonomous vehicles, especially as companies try to turn technically impressive deployments into sustainable businesses.