Intel is joining Airspeeder as a partner as the company develops the MK4, the first flying car created for racing.
The Airspeeder MK4 was first announced in February. It’s being designed and built in Australia, and is aesthetically equal parts Wipeout, fighter jet and F1 car.
Previously, Telstra and Nvidia put their support behind Airspeeder’s racing competition, and now, Intel is coming on board to collaborate on the flying car.
“This is another example of Intel continuing to deliver the compute power needed to stretch the notion of what’s possible, make what was once science fiction a reality, and transform the way we live our lives,” managing director of Intel ANZ Andrew McLean said.
“Helping Airspeeder bring this new concept to life has the potential to not only change the way we race, but also opens up endless possibilities in urban mobility.”
Intel is joining as the official intelligence partner of Airspeeder, and will be providing teams with Core and Xeon processors. The processor maker will collaborate on “all technology aspects of the MK4 speeder whilst under development,” according to Airspeeder.
Back in 2021, the MK3 took flight, becoming the world’s first flying race car – but it was unmanned. The pilot flew the vehicle from the ground, in a simulation environment built to replicate being in the cockpit.
The MK4, however, is the “first crewed flying racing car”, as announced by Airspeeder. It’s also one of the first hydrogen-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. If that acronym looks familiar, it may be because we reported on another Aussie VTOL development this week.
Here’s the teaser clip Airspeeder put together for the MK4, featuring renders of the aircraft and the models that came before it.
With its development, the company is now calling on teams and vehicle manufacturers to get involved.
“We have built the vehicles, developed the sport, secured the venues, attracted the sponsors and technical partners,” Alauda Aeronautics CEO Matt Pearson said. That’s the company behind Airspeeder, mind you.
“Now is the time for the world’s most progressive, innovative and ambitious automotive brands, OEM manufacturers and motorsport teams to be part of a truly revolutionary new motorsport.”
The flying car was designed and built at Alauda Aeronatuics’ test facility in Adelaide, South Australia.
It can reportedly reach a maximum top speed of 360km/h, with a range expectation of 300km and handling compared to an F1 car.
On top of that, it only weighs 950kg, and can produce up to 1,000kW of power (1,340 horsepower).
Crewed races featuring the Airspeeder MK4 are scheduled to begin in 2024, with team entries now open for the series. Fox Sports has the official streaming rights in Australia for the upcoming series.
It’ll be exciting to see the MK4 in action, no doubt.
This article has been updated since it was first published.