Ambarella, chip maker for the GoPro, is set to launch a new Drone chip

For those of you that do not know the company, Ambarella was brought in by DJI to help with the Phantom 2 and Phantom 3 lines. They have primarily been a chip maker for the famous GoPro cameras until now. Seeing the opportunity to diversify Ambarella has started supplying chips for high-end, commercial grade drones.

Speaking at InterDrone VP of Ambarella Marketing and Business Development Chris Day was quoted saying “The killer app for drones is aerial photography and videography,There are so many different models, but one common denominator – high-quality video.”

Holding true to this statement DJI announced at InterDrone two brand new cameras, the X5 and X5R. These new cameras are micro four-thirds cameras, this means they have larger sensors allowing for better image quality. Yuneec also presented a new drone with a camera using Panasonic GH4 micro four-thirds cameras.

The new power in this chip will allow drones to capture HD video at very high frame rates while moving at 20 MPH at a height of 50 feet.

This move was likely caused by a surprising statistic discovered by Ambarella, quoting Chris Day “10% of our revenue this quarter came from cameras on drones,” said Day. “A lot of people were surprised by that.” And Day expects this percentage to increase next year.

This is just yet more proof that you cannot escape the drones. They are everywhere and their effects permeate into every available market.

Are you excited for new cameras on drones?
What is it about drones that you find most interesting?
Do you see many interesting uses for this new high altitute HD capture?
Let us know what you think!