General Motors (GM) and GlobalFoundries (GF) have entered a strategic, long-term agreement establishing a dedicated capacity corridor exclusively for GM’s chip supply. Through this first-of-its-kind agreement, GF will manufacture for GM’s key chip suppliers at GF’s advanced semiconductor facility in upstate New York bringing a critical process to the US.... Read more →

Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM)—the new joint venture between Sony and Honda targeting high-value-added electric vehicles (EVs) and mobility services (earlier post)—announced its new brand AFEELA, and unveiled a prototype vehicle at CES 2023. SHM will develop the production model based on this prototype. Pre-orders are planned to begin in... Read more →

At CES 2023, Continental and Ambarella, an edge AI semiconductor company, announced a strategic partnership to develop scalable, end-to-end hardware and software solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI), for assisted and automated driving (AD), on the way to autonomous mobility. The strategic collaboration builds on Continental’s announcement in November to... Read more →

At CES 2023, ZF anniunced a new multi-domain capable edition of the ZF ProAI (earlier post) high-performance computer. One device can support domain-based ADAS, infotainment or chassis functions on separate boards. This includes system-on-chip configurations from multiple suppliers. It is even capable of hosting multiple operating systems in parallel, e.g.,... Read more →

NVIDIA and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest technology manufacturer, used CES 2023 as the venue to announce a strategic partnership to develop automated and autonomous vehicle platforms. As part of the agreement, Foxconn will be a tier-one manufacturer, producing electronic control units (ECUs) based on NVIDIA DRIVE... Read more →

The worldwide semiconductor industry is projected to invest more than $500 billion in 84 volume chipmaking facilities starting construction from 2021 to 2023, with segments including automotive and high-performance computing (HPC) fueling the spending increases, SEMI announced in its latest quarterly World Fab Forecast report. The projected growth in global... Read more →

NXP Semiconductors has introduced the new S32K39 series of automotive microcontrollers (MCUs) optimized for electric vehicle (EV) control applications. The modern S32K39 MCUs offer high-speed and high-resolution control for increased power efficiency to extend driving range and provide a smoother EV driving experience. The S32K39 MCUs include networking, security and... Read more →

In the future, Continental will offer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) solutions based on the CV3 artificial intelligence (AI) system-on-chip (SoC) family from semiconductor company Ambarella. The high-performance, power-efficient and scalable SoC portfolio, which is built for ADAS applications, complements Continental’s solutions for assisted driving and further advances vehicle automation.... Read more →

Toyota Motor will join seven other leading Japanese companies—Sony Group, NEC, Toyota supplier Denso, NTT, chipmaker Kioxia Holdings, SoftBank and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Grou—in working with the Japanese government in a new next-generation semiconductor venture named Rapidus. The companies are investing a combined ¥7.3 billion (US$52.2 billion) and the government... Read more →

Toyota and Google Cloud announced an expanded partnership that brings together Toyota and Lexus next-generation audio multimedia systems and Google Cloud’s AI-based speech services. Customers can now experience the first results of the partnership in the latest generation Toyota Audio Multimedia and Lexus Interface infotainment systems, including in 2023 models... Read more →

The Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium (AVCC), a global group of automotive and technology industry leaders cooperating on expediting the delivery of automated and assisted driving compute solutions, and SEMI announced an alliance to drive autonomous vehicle innovation. Per the terms of the agreement, leadership and members of the two organizations... Read more →

VinFast, Vietnam’s first global EV maker, and Renesas Electronics Corporation are expanding their collaboration agreement to include automotive technology development of electric vehicles (EVs) and delivery of system components. As part of the newly expanded agreement, Renesas will provide a broader range of products to VinFast, which will include SoCs,... Read more →

NVIDIA introduced NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, its next-generation centralized computer for safe and secure autonomous vehicles. DRIVE Thor, which achieves up to 2,000 teraflops of performance, unifies intelligent functions—including automated and assisted driving, parking, driver and occupant monitoring, digital instrument cluster, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and rear-seat entertainment—into a single architecture for... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group hsa invested in BOS (Best Of Silicon) Semiconductors, a fabless startup based in Korea that designs system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. With a Custom Automotive SOC as a foundation, BOS is planning product lines that will span all areas of automotive SOC including autonomous driving, Gateway, and HPC (Mega-MCU).... Read more →

Silicon’s properties as a semiconductor are far from ideal. Athough silicon lets electrons whizz through its structure easily, it is much less accommodating to “holes”—electrons’ positively charged counterparts—and harnessing both is important for some kinds of chips. Furthermore, silicon is not very good at conducting heat, which is why overheating... Read more →

NXP Semiconductors signed a memorandum of understanding with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) jointly to develop platforms for a new generation of smart connected vehicles. Hon Hai (Foxconn), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer and a leading technology solution provider, will leverage NXP’s portfolio of automotive technologies and its longstanding expertise... Read more →

CARIAD, the software unit of Volkswagen Group, and STMicroelectronics will shortly launch the joint development of an automotive system-on-chip (SoC). Together, CARIAD and ST are developing tailored hardware for connectivity, energy management, and over-the-air updates making vehicles fully software-defined, secure, and future-proof. The planned cooperation targets the new generation of... Read more →

SEMI Taiwan launched the SEMI Auto IC Master, a comprehensive guide to automotive semiconductor and component providers in Taiwan. Designed to enable closer collaboration among carmakers, automobile Tier 1 suppliers and Taiwan’s semiconductor IDM and fabless companies, the guide promises to help automakers better adapt production capacity to semiconductor supply... Read more →

NXP Semiconductors N.V. announced two new processor families that extend the benefits of NXP’s S32 automotive platform with safe, high-performance real-time processing. The S32Z and S32E processor families help enable the automotive industry to accelerate the integration of diverse real-time applications for domain and zonal control, safety processing and vehicle... Read more →

CARIAD, the Volkswagen Group’s software company, will look to Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to supply system-on-chips (SoCs) for CARIAD’s software platform designed to enable assisted and automated driving functions up to Level 4. The SoCs from Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Ride Platform portfolio will be an important hardware component in CARIAD’s standardized... Read more →

Semiconductor manufacturers worldwide are on track to boost 200mm fab capacity by 1.2 million wafers, or 21%, from the start of 2020 to the end of 2024 to hit a record high of 6.9 million wafers per month, according to SEMI’s 200mm Fab Outlook Report. After climbing to $5.3 billion... Read more →

NVIDIA has started production of its NVIDIA DRIVE Orin autonomous vehicle computer, showcased new automakers adopting the NVIDIA DRIVE platform, and unveiled the next generation of its NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion architecture. The company also announced that its automotive pipeline has increased to more than $11 billion over the next six... Read more →

STMicroelectronics has introduced new automotive microcontrollers (MCUs) optimized for electric vehicles and centralized (domain and zonal) electronic architectures. They enable EVs to become more affordable, drive further, and charge faster. In current EVs, high-efficiency SiC-based (silicon carbide) power modules enable the greatest driving range and faster charging. However, trypical automotive... Read more →

The US Department of Commerce released the results from the Risks in the Semiconductor Supply Chain Request for Information (RFI) issued in Sept. 2021. Key findings from the report provided data-driven information about the depths of the semiconductor shortage. The RFI showed that median inventory held by chips consumers (including... Read more →

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH has launched a new normally open (NO) 1-Form-A photorelay that is intended for use in a multitude of battery- and hybrid-electric vehicle applications including within the battery management system (BMS), ground fault detection and identifying faults with mechanical relays. The new TLX9160T consists of an infrared... Read more →

Intel announced plans for an initial investment of more than $20 billion in the construction of two new leading-edge chip factories in Ohio. The investment will help boost production to meet the surging demand for advanced semiconductors, powering a new generation of innovative products from Intel and serving the needs... Read more →

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH has launched a new Ethernet bridge IC—the TC9563XBG—intended for use in automotive zonal-architecture, infotainment, telematics or gateways as well as industrial equipment. The new bridge IC incorporates two 10 Gbps Ethernet Media Access Controller (MAC) supporting a number of interfaces including USXGMII, XFI, SGMII, and RGMII.... Read more →

GM’s next-generation hands-free driver assist system, Ultra Cruise, will be powered by a scalable compute architecture featuring system-on-chips developed by Qualcomm Technologies. GM will be the first company to use the Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Ride Platform for advanced driver assistance technology, which features an industry-leading 5-nanometer Snapdragon SA8540P SoC and... Read more →

Ambarella, an AI vision silicon company, announced its new Artificial Intelligence Image Signal Processor (AISP). Ambarella’s new AI-based ISP architecture uses neural networks to augment the image processing done by the hardware ISP integrated into its SoCs. This approach enables color imaging with low light at very low lux levels... Read more →

At CES, NXP Semiconductors announced the IW612, the industry’s first secure tri-radio device to support the Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and 802.15.4 (low-rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs)) protocols. Part of NXP’s new family of tri-radio products, the new device enables seamless, secure connectivity for smart home, automotive and industrial... Read more →

NXP Semiconductors, a leading automotive semiconductor company, has announced a strategic partnership with Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII), a subsidiary of Hon Hai, to transform the car into the ultimate edge device. NXP will provide FII with its comprehensive portfolio of automotive technologies. The initial phase of the joint project will... Read more →

Global sales of total semiconductor manufacturing equipment by original equipment manufacturers are forecast to reach a new high of $103 billion in 2021, surging 44.7% from the previous industry record of $71 billion in 2020, SEMI announced in its Year-End Total Semiconductor Equipment Forecast – OEM Perspective. The growth is... Read more →

The BMW Group is exploring new ways of working with suppliers and, in the case of strategically important components, becoming more closely involved in the supplier network. To secure semiconductor supplies for the long term, the company has concluded a direct supply assurance agreement with high-tech microchip developer INOVA Semiconductors... Read more →

Bosch is taking further strategic steps toward a leading position in the software-dominated future of mobility. In the future, under the umbrella of its subsidiary ETAS GmbH, the company will develop and sell basic vehicle software, middleware, cloud services, and development tools for universal application. A total of 2,300 experts... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to create a partnership with the intent to design a family of purpose-built semiconductors to support Stellantis and third-party customers. Our software-defined transformation will be powered by great partners across industries and expertise. With Foxconn, we... Read more →

Electric automaker Xpeng took the wraps off the G9 SUV this week at the international Auto Guangzhou show in China (earlier post). The intelligent, software-defined vehicle is built on the high-performance compute of NVIDIA DRIVE Orin and delivers AI capabilities that are continuously upgraded with each over-the-air update. The new... Read more →

GlobalFoundries (GF), a global leader in feature-rich semiconductor manufacturing, and Ford Motor Company announced a strategic collaboration to advance semiconductor manufacturing and technology development within the United States, aiming to boost chip supplies for Ford and the US automotive industry. The companies have signed a non-binding agreement that opens the... Read more →

NXP Semiconductors is collaborating with the Ford Motor Company to deliver enhanced driver experiences, convenience and services across Ford’s global fleet of vehicles, including the 2021 Ford F-150 pickup, Mustang Mach-E and Bronco SUVs. Ford’s new fully networked vehicle architecture implements NXP’s vehicle networking processors and the i.MX 8 Series... Read more →

TTTech Auto and Infineon Technologies have developed key components for a fail-operational electronic architecture for highly automated driving of SAE Level 3 and 4. This enables the safe and reliable processing of, for example, radar or LiDAR camera sensor data and is targeting car and technology manufacturers. The fail-operational architectural... Read more →

Renesas Electronics Corporation unveiled an innovative automotive gateway solution with R-Car S4 system on chips (SoCs) and power management ICs (PMICs) for next-generation vehicle computers, communication gateways, domain servers and application servers. Renesas’ new solution meets the automotive industry’s high demands for high performance, high-speed networking, high security and high... Read more →

General Motors announced Ultifi, an end-to-end software platform that it says will unlock new vehicle experiences and connect customers’ digital lives. Ultifi will help enable the frequent and seamless delivery of software-defined features, apps and services to customers over the air. It offers the potential for more cloud-based services, faster... Read more →

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has developed a model-based development (MBD) simulation technology that shortens verification times for automotive semiconductors by about 90%. (Verification times for simulation of three-phase inverter circuits in an automotive electric power steering system during a right turn with a duration of six seconds.) The... Read more →

Volvo Cars will take software development in-house as a car’s appeal increasingly becomes more defined by software-driven functions and features, rather than traditional automotive attributes. The next generation of pure electric Volvo models, including the company’s first SUV on a completely new electric-only technology base, will run on Volvo Cars’... Read more →

Renesas Electronics Corporation and SiFive, Inc., the industry leader in RISC-V processors and silicon solutions, announced a strategic partnership to develop next-generation, high-end RISC-V solutions for automotive applications. The partnership will also include SiFive licensing the use of their RISC-V core IP portfolio to Renesas. RISC-V is an open standard... Read more →

Innoviz Technologies, Ltd., a provider of high-performance, solid-state LiDAR sensors and perception software, has released its Automotive Perception Platform - InnovizAPP for the automotive industry. InnovizAPP is the company’s advanced perception platform, which includes automotive-grade hardware and software that enable autonomous vehicles (AVs) to identify and classify objects. Innoviz is... Read more →

Micron Technology has begun sampling the industry’s first automotive low-power DDR5 DRAM (LPDDR5) memory that is hardware-evaluated to meet the most stringent Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL), ASIL D. The solution is part of Micron’s new portfolio of memory and storage products targeted for automotive functional safety based on the... Read more →

Recogni Inc., the developers of an AI vision cognition system for autonomous vehicles, raised $48.9 million in a Series B financing round, led by WRVI Capital, a prominent global technology investor. The proceeds will help Recogni bring its perception platform to market and expand its engineering and go-to-market teams. In... Read more →

Renesas Electronics Corporation introduced an update of its R-Car V3H system-on-chip (SoC) to deliver significantly improved deep learning performance for smart camera applications, including driver and occupant monitoring systems (DMS / OMS); automotive front cameras; surround view; and auto parking for high-volume vehicles up to Level 2+. The updated SoC... Read more →

Bosch has now won orders worth several billion euros for its vehicle computers—€2.5 billion worth since this past summer alone. Vehicle computers have huge business potential for Bosch. Even now, our high-performance computers mean that automakers view us as one of their leading engineering and technology partners. —Harald Kroeger, Member... Read more →

Middleware—a computing concept that has been around since the late 1960s, but that especially gained traction in the 1980s—is software that provides common services and capabilities to applications beyond what is offered by an operating system. Middleware serves, in effect, as a mediator between an operating system and software applications,... Read more →