In connected car news are Samsung, Cycuity, VicOne, Renesas, Flexium, Ansys, Easyrain, Infineon Tech and Semikron Danfoss.
In this Article
Samsung UFS 3.1 Production
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced that it has initiated mass production of its new automotive Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.1 memory solution optimized for in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems. The new solution offers the industry’s lowest energy consumption, enabling car manufacturers to provide the best mobility experience for consumers.
The UFS 3.1 lineup will come in 128, 256 and 512-gigabyte (GB) variants to meet different needs of customers. The enhanced lineup allows more efficient battery life management to future automotive applications such as electric or autonomous vehicles. The 256GB model, for instance, has reduced its energy consumption by about 33-percent compared to the previous generation product. The 256GB model also provides a sequential write speed of 700-megabytes-per-second (MB/s) and a sequential read speed of 2,000MB/s.
“Samsung’s new UFS 3.1 solution addresses a wide range of customer needs for optimized IVI systems while pushing forward with next-generation memory trends that require higher ESG standards,” said Hyunduk Cho, Vice President of Memory Product Planning Team at Samsung Electronics. “We aim to expand our presence in the automotive semiconductor market, following the introduction of our UFS 3.1 solution for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).”
The new automotive UFS 3.1 solution satisfies the requirements of AEC-Q100 Grade2, a semiconductor quality standard for vehicles which guarantees stable performance in a wide range of temperatures from negative 40°C to 105°C.
Samsung plans to supply its UFS 3.1 products to global automakers and parts manufacturers by the end of this year.
As Samsung continues to strengthen its automotive memory solution portfolio, the company received an ASPICE Level 2 certification from customers in April, 2023, with its ADAS-oriented UFS 3.1 product. It obtained ASPICE Level 2 certification from C&BIS, a renowned automobile certification agency, with the UFS 3.1 product for ADAS supplied to customers and received verification for the high stability required in automotive semiconductors this month.
Since Samsung first started its automotive memory business in 2015, it has continued to grow rapidly. In 2017, the company introduced the industry’s first UFS for vehicles and has since been providing various memory solutions such as AutoSSD, Auto LPDDR5X and Auto GDDR6. As data storage and computational demands on the automotive sector continue to grow, the company aims to deliver optimized memory solutions for automotive customers and reinforce its development and quality enhancement efforts to accelerate its market leadership.
Cycuity Radix Cert
Cycuity, Inc., an innovator of semiconductor security solutions, announced that its Radix security product and engineering processes are now certified as compliant with ISO/SAE 21434, a standard focused on the cybersecurity risks associated with the design and development of automotive electronics. This accreditation, issued by TÜV SÜD, makes Cycuity an early adopter of the standard.
The comprehensive assessment of Cycuity’s policies and processes confirms that they comply with the security-by-design approach outlined by ISO/SAE 21434. The standard provides a framework for protection against cyberattacks by defining specific cybersecurity engineering requirements for the development process, including secure coding practices and robust cyber risk management.
Cycuity has long been focused on reducing the cybersecurity risk of hardware installed in all electronic components and devices. “As cars become increasingly connected and vulnerable to an emerging range of cyberattacks, it’s crucial that automotive suppliers have a partner they can trust to ensure their semiconductor chips are compliant with the latest safety and cybersecurity standards,” said Dr. Mitchell Mlinar, Vice President of Engineering at Cycuity. “This milestone certification is a testament to the strength of Radix, our hardware security solution, and the secure-by-design approach it offers and is built upon. The certification demonstrates to our customers that we’re committed to helping them meet these rigorous standards quickly and effectively.”
With achievement of this certification, Cycuity’s Radix technology further enables automotive chip suppliers to efficiently demonstrate their own compliance with ISO/SAE 21434. Radix provides a systematic approach to the hardware security verification process and simplifies the data collection necessary to demonstrate cybersecurity compliance with evolving standards.
VicOne & Clientron
VicOne, an automotive cybersecurity solutions leader, announced a partnership with Clientron on an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) solution with integrated cybersecurity for electric-vehicle (EV) buses.
VicOne’s cybersecurity software is integrated with Clientron’s electronic control unit (ECU) to prevent cyber-attacks by which an EV bus’s IVI system is penetrated to manipulate vital systems such as brakes, acceleration and navigation—or even passengers’ personally identifiable information (PII) via on-board internet connections. The integrated solution aligns with emerging automotive-industry compliance requirements, such as the ISO/SAE 21434.
“There are more and more EV buses on the road around the world, and not many have cybersecurity protection in IVI,” said Edward Tsai, vice president of strategic partnership, VicOne. “Our work with Clientron has resulted in a fully functional IVI system with comprehensive cybersecurity that is easily integrated on EV buses. We look forward to bringing our combined capabilities to providers around the world.”
Clientron, founded in 1983, is a leading automotive electronics manufacturer which provides highly integrated embedded solutions to clients worldwide. The company’s IVI system delivers functions including audio and video entertainment, navigation, mobile-phone interconnection, vehicle data, safe driving and vehicle management. It provides a user-friendly and enjoyable driving experience through a communication network and multi-display system interaction.
VicOne’s integrated cybersecurity software detects constantly evolving cyber-attacks and initiates countermeasures to avert or isolate and limit harm. The VicOne solution monitors IVI app performance, including power consumption and storage usage, to detect any abnormality. The EV-bus operator is alerted if an app consumes unnecessary resources or drains the battery excessively, ensuring smooth operation of the IVI system and maintaining driver, passenger and vehicle safety without unexpected interruptions or distractions.
Renesas Starter Kit
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced a new development board for automotive gateway systems. The R-Car S4 Starter Kit is a low-cost, readily available development board for building software using the Renesas R-Car S4 system on chip (SoC). The SoC delivers high computing performance and an array of communication features for both cloud communication and safe vehicle control. The new starter kit is a less-expensive and readily available option compared to the existing R-Car S4 Reference Board, which provides a full-scale development environment including an evaluation board and software. Engineers can take advantage of the new kit to easily start their initial evaluation of car servers, connected gateways, connectivity modules and more, for rapid application development.
“At the same time, our customers requested a development environment that can be used widely across their design teams, while keeping the cost down. This low-cost board addresses the need, and we are confident that it will accelerate their vehicle development.”
“The R-Car S4 SoC has already been well received by our customers as a choice for gateway SoCs that support the evolution of E/E architecture,” said Takeshi Fuse, Head of Marketing and Business Development, High Performance Computing, Analog & Power Solutions Group at Renesas. “At the same time, our customers requested a development environment that can be used widely across their design teams, while keeping the cost down. This low-cost board addresses the need, and we are confident that it will accelerate their vehicle development.”
The R-Car S4 Starter Kit includes essential R-Car S4 interfaces such as Ethernet TSN switch and CAN FD, as well as memory such as 4GB(Gigabyte) of LPDDR4, 128GB of UFS (Universal Flash Storage), and 64MB(Megabyte) of Quad SPI flash memory. In addition, users can easily expand peripheral functions by using expansion connectors and customize the hardware according to individual needs.
Furthermore, Renesas provides the R-Car S4 Whitebox SDK, an open-source automotive development environment for the R-Car S4, which can be combined with the R-Car S4 Starter Kit. The SDK consists of FoC (Free of Charge) software and can be easily used without the need for complicated license agreements. The SDK includes sample software, test programs, and resource monitoring tools for OTA (Over-The-Air software updates), IPS (Intrusion Prevention System), and IDS (Intrusion Detection System) for network security, allowing for various prototyping and evaluation. Users can use the sample software as a base to develop their own applications. This kit shortens development time and reduces energy consumption, thus imposing less impact on the environment.
Flexium Uses Ansys Sim
lexium uses Ansys (NASDAQ: ANSS) simulation solutions to explore design ideas, and develop and test antenna modules for high-frequency signal transceiver designs used in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle (AV) applications. With support from Ansys tools, the printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer’s R&D team can also test the durability and reliability of its PCB boards, as well as explore new design ideas through layout and material experimentation at a relatively low cost.
Within Flexium’s PCB layouts are numerous flexible print circuits (FPCs) responsible for critical connections that enable 5G communication in ADAS and AV applications. Any design deficiencies within these layouts can negatively impact FPC transmission characteristics responsible for vehicle perception.
To address these challenges, Flexium uses Ansys simulation software for the electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical optimization of its FPC designs through efficient layout and material changes. Ansys tools also helped Flexium set specific parameters for board layout and materials, then create a reference library for future mmWave design verification.
“Ansys delivers the greatest predictive accuracy and yields the strongest results for us during PCB layout analysis critical to today’s ADAS and AV applications,” said Ming-Chi Cheng, president of Flexium. “Looking beyond 5G, we will continue to reference Ansys simulation to discover new methods for optical integration and communication that will help shape the future of our mmWave antenna module designs.”
“With Ansys, global PCB industry leaders like Flexium realize the freedom to explore possibilities in board application design, and successfully develop forward-thinking antenna solutions for high-frequency signal transceiver applications,” said John Lee, vice president and general manager of the electronics, semiconductor, and optics business unit at Ansys. “As the momentum behind miniaturization continues to build, our simulation solvers will accelerate the satellite, driverless, and related wireless signal modules powering this trend.”
Investment for Easyrain
Easyrain announced a new investment round that will enable us to industrialize its revolutionary Aquaplaning Intelligent Solution (AIS) system, which will be “production ready” by the fall of 2024. Easyrain is establishing a partnership with a major Tier-1 company in the automotive industry to drive the industrialization and production of the AIS system.
The AIS is the first and only active system that changes road conditions and immediately makes them safer. It sprays a controlled jet of water in front of the front wheels to eliminate excess water on the road, restoring the contact between the tires and the road surface. The AIS is fundamental for traditional or autonomous vehicles, as it saves lives and dramatically reduces accidents in hazardous driving situations, including aquaplaning.
The AIS works in conjunction with our Digital Aquaplaning Information (DAI) software, which accurately detects tire contact with wet road surfaces. It enables innovative safety functionalities for ADAS and assisted/autonomous driving, such as automatically adjusting the speed of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) in low-grip situations. Scheduled for production in late 2025, DAI is the ultimate solution for addressing the challenges of autonomous driving on hazardous or low-grip surfaces.
Easyrain is working on integrating new features into DAI, including snow, ice, pothole, and gravel detection, and have plans to introduce a feature that assesses inaccurate wheel alignment, enhancing both driving safety and vehicle efficiency. This will make DAI an essential tool in extending the range of electric vehicles and reducing CO2 emissions. The DAI software operates independently without dedicated components, internet connectivity, or cloud access.
To celebrate this period of remarkable activity, Easyrain announce the organization of the second Easyrain Experience at Spain’s Idiada proving ground in September. Carmakers, Tier-1 suppliers, and institutions will have the opportunity to test our cutting-edge hardware, software, and cloud technologies.
Infineon Tech & Semikron Danfoss for SiCs
Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) and Semikron Danfoss have signed a multi-year volume agreement for the supply of silicon-based electromobility chips. Infineon will supply chipsets consisting of IGBTs and diodes to Semikron Danfoss. These chips are mainly used in power modules for inverters, which are used for the main drive in electric vehicles.
“As the global leader in automotive semiconductors, Infineon enables game-changing solutions for clean and safe mobility. Already today, our IGBTs and diodes play a major role in the industry’s electromobility transformation by enabling efficient power conversion in the electric powertrain,” said Peter Schiefer, President of Infineon’s Automotive division. “Our broad product portfolio, system expertise and continuous investment in our manufacturing capabilities make us a valued partner of automotive players like Semikron Danfoss.”
Claus A. Petersen, President of Semikron Danfoss added: “Semikron Danfoss provides automotive customers with power modules based on the most advanced assembly technologies that fully exploit the capabilities of IGBTs and diodes to enable further decarbonization of the transportation sector. Automotive customers trust us as an experienced long-term partner to drive the transformation in the industry.”
The IGBTs and diodes for Semikron Danfoss will be manufactured by Infineon at its sites in Dresden, Germany, and Kulim, Malaysia. Semikron Danfoss manufactures its own automotive power modules in Nuremberg and Flensburg in Germany, in Utica, US, and as of next year, in Nanjing, China.