Core Insights - Mercedes-Benz has spun off its Silicon Valley chip team to establish a new company, Athos Silicon, focused on developing next-generation computing chips for autonomous vehicles and drones [2] Group 1: Company Overview - Athos Silicon is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and consists of engineers who previously worked at Mercedes-Benz's North American R&D center for five years [2] - The company aims to create new chips that are safe for automotive use and have lower energy consumption compared to existing chips [2] Group 2: Financial and Structural Aspects - Following the spin-off, Athos received significant investments and relevant intellectual property from Mercedes-Benz, although the transaction amount has not been disclosed [2] - Mercedes-Benz will hold a minority stake in Athos, which will have an independent board of directors and plans to attract additional venture capital in the future [2] Group 3: Technological Innovations - Athos employs "chiplet" technology, which replaces traditional multi-chip solutions by packaging small chips together, resulting in a 10-20 times reduction in power consumption compared to conventional methods [2] - This technology is designed to meet the low energy demands of electric vehicles while ensuring the reliability required for autonomous driving [2] Group 4: Strategic Goals - CEO Charnjiv Bangar emphasized that maintaining independence allows Athos to engage with more automotive companies, including competitors of Mercedes-Benz, ensuring business neutrality [2] - The core objectives of chip development at Athos are "safety for automotive applications + low energy consumption" [2]