As the global automotive industry rapidly advances toward next-generation electronic and electrical (E/E) architectures, the combined use of domain controllers and zonal controllers is emerging as a practical and strategic approach, especially for automakers targeting market opportunities in 2028 and 2029. This direction has reportedly gained favor among mainstream global brands, including many of China's top-tier carmakers.
Despite Tesla's early leadership and trailblazing status in intelligent vehicle design, its centralized high-performance computing (HPC) "vehicle brain" appears to be losing appeal among other industry players. What explains their growing reluctance to follow Tesla's path?
According to supply chain sources, Tesla's HPC architecture does offer compelling advantages. It enables centralized control of all vehicle intelligence and integrates seamlessly within Tesla's vertically integrated ecosystem, encompassing AI, servers, humanoid robots, and even low-earth orbit satellites. However, this ambitious blueprint may not align with the priorities or capabilities of most traditional automakers in their future development roadmaps.
Challenges loom large
One critical obstacle lies in the need for advanced semiconductor technology. Tesla's automotive HPC chips currently use 4nm to 5nm processes and may advance to 2nm or 3nm. However, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and supply chain constraints, many Chinese automakers are unlikely to obtain such cutting-edge chips, driving them to seek more accessible and pragmatic design alternatives.
Beyond chip availability, a more fundamental concern rests with the practical engineering challenges of the centralized HPC approach. It requires sophisticated thermal management, entails higher development and production costs, and poses greater safety risks in the event of design flaws. These factors have led major carmakers in Europe, the US, Japan, South Korea, and China to take a more cautious stance.
Two diverging paths
The global E/E architecture landscape is clearly at a strategic crossroads. On one hand, Tesla and technology firms like Nvidia, Intel, Qualcomm, and the long-anticipated but quiet Apple continue to champion the centralized "vehicle brain" model. This approach supports future applications such as autonomous robotaxis, humanoid robotics, smart factories, and AI data centers.
On the other hand, a growing number of automakers are embracing a domain-zonal hybrid or fully zonal architecture. This modular path is expected to dominate the industry's direction over the next 5 -7 years, thanks to its scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of integration. With building-block-like flexibility, related components can be stacked and replaced as needed.
Mainstream automakers across Europe, the US, and Japan, as well as China's leading car brands and Tier 1 suppliers, are increasingly leaning toward zonal-based systems. Cost is the overriding factor, as this approach reduces copper wiring usage and lowers thermal management expenses.
Opportunities for Taiwan supply chain
This shift also presents significant opportunities for Taiwan's agile electronics ecosystem. With Tesla already relying on Quanta and Pegatron for manufacturing, and other major players like Foxconn forming alliances with traditional carmakers, Taiwan's position in the evolving mobility landscape continues to strengthen. Taiwanese foundries such as TSMC, Vanguard, and UMC remain central to the production of advanced automotive chips
Notably, there is no rigid divide between HPC, domain, and zonal architecture designs. Automakers may adopt blended configurations based on vehicle types, price points, and feature requirements, but the timeline for deploying each approach will vary. What seems inevitable, though, is that traditional distributed electronic power control (EPC) systems will be phased out over time.
Article edited by Jack Wu
