In connected care news are Asahi Kasei, NVIDIA, Foxconn, Telenav, Iteris, C2A & Drivesec.
Asahi Kasei eFuse for SiC
Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation (AKM) and Silicon Austria Labs GmbH (SAL), the European research center for electronics and software based systems research, have successfully completed a joint proof of concept of the eFuse technology in high-voltage applications utilizing silicon carbide (SiC)-based power devices. The results show that the eFuse technology can significantly improve safety, as well as reducing material and maintenance costs of systems such as on-board chargers (OBC) in automobiles.
The popularity of SiC- and gallium nitride (GaN)-based power devices in electric vehicles and other high-voltage applications is on the rise. This makes it necessary to replace mechanical fuses – which have been utilized with conventional silicon (Si) based power converters – in order to immediately shut down the system when detecting an overcurrent, protecting the devices and avoiding costly maintenance.
AKM is producing the CZ39 series, a coreless current sensor with a response time of 100 ns. Its fast response capability and high accuracy allow for precise detection of overcurrent and quick system shutdown. In a joint technical verification together with the Austrian research center SAL, AKM has developed the eFuse system which solves the challenges of conventional protection systems using mechanical fuses. This solution provides the overcurrent and short circuit protection required for next-generation high-voltage EV systems with SiC- and GaN-based power devices, such as OBCs. Furthermore, the current sensor integrated into the eFuse can efficiently regulate the current in connected subsystems, thereby reducing the overall part count.
“With this joint technology validation, we have set a new standard for eFuse technology, and we are proud to combine AKM’s expertise with SAL’s research capabilities to achieve this innovative result. We expect that the eFuse technology will contribute to smaller and lighter EV onboard chargers,” said Toshinori Takatsuka, General Manager of AKM’s current sensor business.
“By utilizing the latest AKM current sensing technologies, we can improve the reaction time of eFuses and the protection of wide-bandgap power converters,” said Thomas Langbauer, Team Lead within the Power Electronics Division at SAL.
AKM will present the results of the joint research with SAL at PCIM Europe 2024 (Nuremberg, Germany) in June. In addition, the two companies are discussing further steps as they anticipate a positive market impact.
About Silicon Austria Labs (SAL)
Silicon Austria Labs GmbH (SAL) was founded in 2018 as a top non-university research center for electronics and software based systems. At its locations in Graz, Villach and Linz, research is conducted on key technologies in the fields of Microsystems, Sensor Systems, Power Electronics, Intelligent Wireless Systems and Embedded Systems. SAL brings together key players from industry and science and thus valuable expertise and know-how, and conducts cooperative, application-oriented research along the value chain.
NVIDIA Blackwell for Foxconn in Taiwan
Hon Hai Technology Group (“Foxconn”) (TWSE:2317) announced that it plans to build an advanced computing center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with the NVIDIA Blackwell platform at its core, as the CEOs of the two technology bellwethers reaffirmed their strong partnership at COMPUTEX 2024.
The latest collaboration between Foxconn and NVIDIA signals a deepening commitment by the world’s largest electronics manufacturing service provider and market leader in making AI servers, alongside its world-class partner, to drive intelligent ecosystems covering AI, electric vehicles, smart factories, robotics, smart cities and other fields.
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang and Foxconn Chairman and CEO Young Liu caught up with each other on the exhibition floor of COMPUTEX, getting a comprehensive tour about their cooperation at the booth set up by Ingrasys, the Foxconn subsidiary that has been at the manufacturing epicenter of NVIDIA’s GB200 NVL72, MGX, HGX and other innovative products.
Following the tour, Huang noted that NVIDIA and Foxconn have worked closely together on various product development, and the proof of the cooperation is clear, especially with the Blackwell product line-up; Foxconn has excellent vertical integration capabilities and is a vital partner for the GB200.
On the spot, Chairman Liu announced that Foxconn will join hands with NVIDIA to build an advanced computing center in Kaohsiung with the NVIDIA Blackwell platform at its core. The cutting-edge computing center, anchored by the superchip GB200 servers, consists of a total of 64 racks and 4,608 GPUs, is slated for completion by 2026. NVIDIA’s powerful AI technology will drive Foxconn’s three smart platforms: Smart Manufacturing. Smart EV. Smart City. Both companies will continue to deepen cooperation in AI, electric vehicles, smart factories, robots, smart cities and other fields, and demonstrate the strong competitiveness brought by AI through Foxconn’s huge manufacturing scale.
Huang said, “A new era of computing has dawned, fueled by surging global demand for generative AI data centers. Foxconn stands at the forefront as a leading supplier of NVIDIA computing and a trailblazer in the application of generative AI in manufacturing and robotics. Leveraging NVIDIA Omniverse and Isaac robotics platforms, Foxconn is harnessing cutting-edge AI and digital twin technologies to construct their advanced computing center in Kaohsiung.”
The two companies will utilize NVIDIA Omniverse and create digital twins to introduce platforms for smart manufacturing, smart electric vehicles, and smart cities. For smart manufacturing platforms, image recognition technology, combined with the Group’s autonomous mobile robots (AMR), will lead to changes for optimal capacity utilization. The production line planning will encompass existing manufacturing of AI servers and EV assembly plants.
Toward that goal, the new Qiaotou automotive manufacturing facilities of Foxtron, a Foxconn subsidiary, will become one of the Group’s benchmark AI factories. Currently under construction, the site will utilize digital twin connected to cloud technologies and achieve collaboration between virtual and physical production lines. Digital real-time monitoring will ensure the manufacturing excellence of an award-winning electric bus, which is currently seeing orders outpacing output capacity.
Going forward, the two companies’ collaborative effort in EV ADAS platform will be applied to future EV models designed by Foxconn. Presently, Foxconn is negotiating projects with traditional European and American automakers. Moreover, based on NVIDIA’s new generation of chips, Foxconn and NVIDIA jointly plan a “cabin-driving-in-one” smart travel solution, creating a third living space.
Telenav Choses Iteris’ Cear Data
Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI), the world’s trusted technology ecosystem for smart mobility infrastructure management, and Telenav, Inc., a leading provider of connected-car and location-based services, announced that Telenav has chosen Iteris’ ClearData® as their source for traffic and travel information.
ClearData aggregates and validates proprietary and diversely sourced mobility data such as incident, speed and connected vehicle probes and delivers it to public- and private-sector clients via subscription-based direct computer data feeds or application programming interfaces (APIs). Telenav, an industry-leading supplier of navigation solutions, is now leveraging ClearData to help inform and coach drivers in the Telenav Scout Maps application.
Scout Maps (https://www.scoutgps.com/) is a mobile and in-car app that provides live traffic updates, speed limit alerts, and navigation tips for a smarter and safer driving experience. Key functionalities include calculating and offering options of alternative safer routes, offering real-time traffic and speed updates, and giving users a “Safety Score” which provides them with real-time insights into their driving behavior.
Fueled by Telenav’s AI-powered features, Scout Maps puts drivers back in the driver’s seat, showing them safer route calculations and traffic information, including sudden speed limit changes on the road. Along with insights that will alert motorists to their own risky behaviors like hard braking, speeding, or hard acceleration—Scout Maps offers users the ability to share events, notifications, and driving scores with friends or family. This innovative feature can help encourage anyone’s personal driving behaviors, and also offer extra peace of mind for families. For example, it will help give parents the ability to help monitor their teenager’s driving abilities as they begin driving with a license.
With ClearData providing live traffic conditions on the roads, flow speed, incidents and more, Scout Maps users will get more accurate ETA during rush hours, avoid roads with congestions and accidents, and choose safer routes with less probability of having accidents on the go.
“We’re excited to be chosen to provide mobility data to Telenav’s industry-leading navigation applications,” said Will Cousins, senior vice president and chief product officer at Iteris. “With the addition of our proprietary mobility data, Telenav’s solutions will be able to provide even more precise safety scores and navigation for their users while broadening the use of our data.”
“A key part of Telenav’s mission is to connect cars and users in a way that makes driving safe and convenient, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Iteris to further that goal,” said Ahsan Habib, vice president of professional services at Telenav. “With the addition of ClearData’s dynamic data points, we’ll be able to enhance our navigation capabilities and more easily create the connected, convenient and safe experience we strive for.”
ClearData is a key component of the Iteris ClearMobility® Platform, the most complete solution for continuously monitoring, visualizing and optimizing mobility infrastructure around the world to help ensure that roads are safe, travel is efficient and communities thrive. The ClearMobility Platform applies cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, advisory services and managed services to achieve safe, efficient and sustainable mobility.
CRA & Drivesec Partner for Testing
–C2A Security, the risk-driven product security company for the automotive industry, and Drivesec, the testing and compliance company for Automotive and IoT, today announced a partnership to offer an end-to-end testing solution based on contextual security data, integrating WESETH® test automation platform into EVSec Product DevSecOps platform.
EVSec, the industry-pioneering DevSecOps Platform, automates archaic manual processes and enables cross-functional sharing and collaboration between teams, customers, and supply chains while offering full digital twin capabilities of the product. EVSec applies a risk-driven approach to product security, drawing contextual intelligence from the Model, for fast and accurate management of vulnerabilities, security, and operations by design and an overall efficiency boost to the customer’s development and operations of software-defined products.
C2A Security’s EVSec Attacker product automates vulnerability testing across the vehicle, including the system itself, network, and component level. EVSec Attacker uses binary analysis, additional algorithms, and risk insights from the Cyber Model, thus reducing the time and resources needed to test. EVSec Attacker can also be utilized to ‘black box’ test supply chains and third-party components. As an automated system, EVSec Attacker is cloud-based and can integrate with CI/CD pipelines.
WESETH® by Drivesec is a cloud-based test automation platform, expressly designed for cybersecurity verification of cyber-physical systems. WESETH® is designed to support the remote and automated validation and testing of cybersecurity requirements on benches, HIL systems, or prototypes. By seamlessly incorporating Drivesec’s WESETH testing platform and EVSec Attacker module, this collaboration promises full product lifecycle testing from security control validation to intelligent virtual and target-based fuzzing of the customer’s continuous integration pipeline.
“At Drivesec, we are dedicated to enabling secure and compliant automotive and IoT solutions. Through our remote and automated cybersecurity testing platform, we bring innovation to the VA/PT processes. We want to bring OEM and TIER1 in control of their security testing assessment processes,” said Giuseppe Faranda Cordella, Founder & CEO of Drivesec. “Our collaboration with C2A Security marks a significant step forward in achieving this goal. By integrating our testing expertise with C2A Security’s innovative platform, we are equipping automotive manufacturers with the tools they need to safeguard their products against evolving cyber threats.”
“Through this collaboration, we are combining C2A Security’s expertise in automotive cybersecurity with Drivesec’s proficiency in testing and compliance, to deliver unparalleled security solutions for our customers. As new industry regulations come into force, EVSec DevSecOps platform, supported by Drivesec’s advanced testing capabilities, ensures that security becomes a value multiplier and not a deterrent to innovation,” said Roy Fridman, CEO of C2A Security. “We’re thrilled by our partnership with Drivesec, knowing that this will enhance our offering of risk-driven product security solutions, thus elevating our customers’ ability to automate their security systems and successfully meet regulatory demands.”
The companies will both be exhibiting and available for meetings and interviews at escar USA in Plymouth, June 5-6, and the Auto-ISAC European Summit in Munich, June 11-13, 2024.