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 →

Renesas Electronics Corporation unveiled the R-Car V3U—a best-in-class ASIL D system on chip (SoC) for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD) systems. Delivering 60 TOPS with low power consumption for deep learning processing and up to 96,000 DMIPS, the R-Car V3U is built for the performance, safety,... Read more →

Global automotive semiconductor revenue for 2020 will exceed initial expectations, primarily due to an increase in the average semiconductor value per car sold this year, according to a new forecast by IHS Markit. IHS Markit now expects semiconductor revenue to contract in 2020 by -9.6% to just over $38 billion,... Read more →

SmartSens, a China-based high-performance CMOS image sensing (CIS) chip design company, launched its SC133GS CMOS 1.3M pixel CMOS sensor with global shutter and fan-out package to further enhance performance in automotive settings. The solution delivers superior signal-to-noise ratio, ultra-high sensitivity, and excellent dynamic range to address growing demand for intelligent... Read more →

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation announced that Zhejiang Asia-Pacific Mechanical & Electronic Co. Ltd. (APG), one of China’s leading manufacturers of vehicle braking systems, will deploy the Visconti 4 image-recognition processor in its next-generation advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). This marks the first time that a Visconti family processor... Read more →

ams, a leading worldwide supplier of high performance sensor solutions, and Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH, the German specialist and a global technology supplier for automotive LiDAR sensor technology and the associated software, confirmed that ams Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology is a core component of Ibeo’s newly-developed solid-state... Read more →

Lucid Motors announced DreamDrive, its new advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS). The platform combines what Lucid calls the most comprehensive sensor suite on the market with an advanced driver monitoring system, all standard on the first versions of the Lucid Air EV, scheduled for delivery in early 2021. The DreamDrive technology... Read more →

Effective January 2021, Toyota Research Institute - Advanced Development, Inc. will expand and improve its operations into a holding company and two operating companies. The holding company will be Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. and the two operating companies under it will be Woven CORE, Inc., which will develop, implement and... Read more →

The market for software-intensive automotive electronic systems is expected to grow by some 15% annually between now and 2030. Bosch is now establishing a new division, Cross-Domain Computing Solutions. From the start of 2021, existing and new customers will receive electronics systems and the requisite software from a single source:... Read more →

Continental has adopted Renesas Electronics Corporation’s high-performance Renesas R-Car M3 System-on-Chip (SoC) for its first-generation Body High-Performance Computer (HPC). The HPC is an automotive computing platform that provides centralized control of vehicle systems and is equipped with secure gateway functionality to enable cloud service connectivity. The R-Car M3 supports over-the-air... Read more →

Addressing the ongoing migration towards autonomous driving, Toshiba has introduced a high-resolution, long-range light-receiving technology for deployment in solid-state LiDAR systems. By removing the need for bulky mechanical components, the technology realizes cost and space savings and enhances operational reliability. At its heart is Toshiba’s proprietary compact, high-efficiency silicon photo-multiplier... Read more →

Using radar commonly deployed to track speeders and fastballs, researchers have developed an automated system that will allow cars to peer around corners and spot oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Researchers combined artificial intelligence and radar used to track speeders to develop a system that will allow vehicles to spot hazards... Read more →

Three UC Riverside engineers have received a $1.2-million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new generation of energy-efficient, energy-elastic, and real-time-aware GPUs suitable for use in resource-constrained environments such as emerging embedded and autonomous systems, including aerial drones and autonomous vehicles. The three Marlan and Rosemary Bourns... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA plan to enter into a cooperation to create a new in-vehicle computing system and AI computing infrastructure. Starting in 2024, this will be rolled out across the fleet of next-generation Mercedes-Benz vehicles, enabling them with upgradable automated driving functions. The new software-defined architecture will be built on... Read more →

Phantom AI Inc., a developer of a vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving platform, announced the joint development with Renesas Electronics Corporation of full stack Level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) solutions. Phantom AI offers a flexible, automotive-grade ADAS solution on Renesas’ single, low-power R-Car V3H system-on-chip (SoC), which provides enough computing... Read more →

Henkel introduced Bergquist Gap Filler TGF 7000, its latest thermal interface material (TIM) innovation. The liquid TIM is a major formulation breakthrough, as it effectively marries high thermal conductivity of 7.0 W/mK with a maximum possible speed tested of 18 grams per second, a combination which is currently the only... Read more →

ams, a global supplier of high performance sensor solutions, introduced the AS5715: the first inductive position sensor for high-speed, automotive and industrial electric motors to be available as a standard product on the open market. New rotor position sensing solutions based on the AS5715 can match the accuracy and latency... Read more →

ON Semiconductor has released the first two devices from its new VE-Trac family of power modules for high voltage automotive traction inverters. These two power integrated module (PIM) devices bring best-in-class electrical and thermal performance while providing scalability and automotive reliability to the rapidly growing market for traction inverters. Future... Read more →

DENSO Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation have named their joint venture to be established in April 2020 MIRISE Technologies (earlier post). The joint venture will conduct research and advanced development of next-generation in-vehicle semiconductors. MIRISE is an acronym for Mobility Innovative Research Institute for SEmiconductors. It also conveys “mirai” (a... Read more →

A group of leading automotive and technology industry companies including Arm, Bosch, Continental, DENSO, General Motors, NVIDIA, NXP Semiconductors and Toyota have joined forces to help accelerate the delivery of safer and affordable autonomous vehicles at scale with the formation of the Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium (AVCC). AVCC commits to... Read more →