In connected car are Wolfspeed, Sensata Technologies, Vector, Microchip , Elektrobit, Mobileye, Soracom, Valeo, Renault, Avanci, Mercedes-Benz, Infineon and Quintauris.
In this Article
Wolfspeed 1st 10 kV Silicon Carbide MOSFET
Wolfspeed announced the commercial availability of the industry’s first 10 kV SiC power MOSFET, a technical milestone aimed at modernizing grid infrastructure and accelerating AI data center expansion. The device features a 158,000-year predicted dielectric breakdown lifetime and resolves bipolar degradation, enabling the use of body diodes in mid-voltage UPS, wind power, and solid-state transformer applications. This high-voltage SiC technology allows for simplified system architectures, such as transitioning from multi-cell designs to two-level inverter topologies.
The 10 kV SiC MOSFET enables a 300 percent increase in power density by raising switching frequencies from 600 Hz to 10,000 Hz, which significantly reduces the footprint of magnetic components. System-level thermal requirements are reduced by up to 50 percent due to 99 percent conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the technology’s sub-10 nanosecond rise time allows for the replacement of traditional mechanical spark-gap switches with solid-state alternatives, improving precision and durability in pulsed-power applications including geothermal energy and semiconductor plasma etching.
Sensata FaultBreak Contactor 4 EV Circuit Protection
Sensata Technologies announced the debut of FaultBreak, a high-voltage contactor designed to integrate switching and resettable fuse functions into a single component. The device offers fault-clearing capabilities validated up to 16 kA at 1 kV, targeting the protection of next-generation EV platforms against full battery short-circuit conditions. By utilizing passive fuse functionality, the solution interrupts high-magnitude faults without requiring external detection electronics or low-voltage harnesses, supporting ISO-26262 compliance and simplifying electrical architectures.
The integration of fuse and contactor roles reduces system component count by over 50 percent, eliminating the need for pyrofuses and additional busbars. Unlike traditional single-use fuse technologies, FaultBreak is resettable following nuisance or temporary faults, which reduces warranty claims and maximizes vehicle uptime. The hermetically sealed unit operates with low contact resistance to minimize thermal losses and is engineered to support the higher voltage architectures of modern software-defined and battery-electric vehicles.
Vector & Microchip Pre-Integrated SDV Solutions
Vector and Microchip Technology expanded their collaboration this week to deliver pre-integrated embedded hardware and software solutions specifically for resource-constrained control units in software-defined vehicle architectures. The partnership focuses on supporting Vector’s MICROSAR IO software layer on Microchip’s dsPIC33A digital signal controllers, targeting compact sensor and actuator nodes.
By aligning product roadmaps, the companies aim to eliminate traditional ramp-up phases and reduce integration friction for Tier 1 suppliers. This approach facilitates the functional decomposition of SDV systems, where complex logic is shifted to high-performance computing and zonal controllers while edge nodes utilize lean, cost-efficient software stacks for high-volume deployment.
Elektrobit Linux-Based Safety Platforms
Elektrobit underscored its leadership in open-source automotive software this week, announcing a new digital-twin cockpit demonstration running on Siemens’ PAVE360 virtual platform. The showcase highlights how OEMs can begin SDV development in pre-silicon environments, utilizing EB corbos Linux for Safety Applications to bridge the gap between virtual simulation and physical hardware targets.
The company also detailed a safe cockpit solution powered by the Telechips Dolphin5 SoC, integrating Qt Safe Renderer to manage safety-critical telltales. These advancements follow a recent TÜV Nord technical assessment for ASIL B compliance, validating the use of Linux-based high-performance computing in safety-relevant applications.
Soracom SGP.32 Connectivity Hypervisor
Soracom announced the opening of pre-orders for Connectivity Hypervisor, its SGP.32-compatible orchestration layer designed for dynamic remote management of eSIM profiles. Unveiled during Mobile World Congress 2026, the platform enables IoT devices to switch between Soracom and third-party MNO profiles without physical SIM swaps or complex backend integrations. The solution targets enterprise and automotive deployments requiring single-SKU global distribution and compliance with permanent roaming regulations through automated profile localization.
The Connectivity Hypervisor functions as a control plane for eUICC, eIM, and SM-DP+ components, providing built-in profile fallback to ensure uninterrupted service for long-lifecycle assets in utilities, healthcare, and logistics. Soracom has already validated the infrastructure through an automotive field deployment involving dynamic profile provisioning. Commercial availability is synchronized with the maturation of the global MNO ecosystem, allowing early adopters to integrate SGP.32 readiness into current IoT and connected vehicle hardware specifications.
Valeo AI Cooling & Immersive Cockpit @ SXSW 2026
Valeo announced its return to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin to demonstrate technologies integrating automotive hardware with digital software. The company will debut a passive, pump-free, two-phase direct-to-chip cooling system designed for AI data centers and autonomous vehicle central computers, capable of doubling compute capacity within existing power constraints. Additionally, Valeo confirmed the commercialization of the Valeo Racer gaming platform as a standard feature in the new Renault Filante, utilizing ADAS sensors to synchronize location-based gameplay with real-time vehicle movement to mitigate motion sickness.
The showcase includes Valeo Panovision, which utilizes the entire windshield as a pillar-to-pillar head-up display for context-aware safety alerts. In lighting, the Zeekr 7X features Valeo’s front-end fascia with over 1,700 customizable LEDs and ultra-slim adaptive driving beams. Connectivity advancements also extend to e-Chromic Glasses, which leverage vehicle ambient light sensors and GPS data to proactively adjust lens tinting via Bluetooth. Valeo, which reported $22.79 billion in 2024 sales, continues to focus on electrification and digital cabin experiences as primary industrial growth drivers.
Avanci Wi-Fi Licensing Platform
Avanci announced the launch of Avanci Wi-Fi, a new licensing platform for standard essential patents (SEPs) covering Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 standards. The first program under this platform, Avanci Wi-Fi 6 Vehicle, has secured Mercedes-Benz AG as its inaugural patent licensee and includes ten participating patent owners. This initiative marks the largest joint licensing program for Wi-Fi 6 SEPs by participant count and the only such program to publicly announce a major automaker as a licensee.
The program aims to simplify the licensing process for automotive manufacturers by consolidating essential Wi-Fi 6 patent rights into a single license, supporting the integration of advanced wireless connectivity in modern vehicles. By leveraging its established 4G and 5G vehicle programs, Avanci intends to provide a transparent and balanced licensing framework for Wi-Fi technology. Additional licensors and licensees are expected to join the platform as the automotive industry seeks efficient solutions for standardized connectivity.
Infineon xpands AURIX TC3x 400 MHz Performance Class
Infineon Technologies AG introduced a 400 MHz performance class for its AURIX TC3x automotive microcontroller family to address increasing software complexity in powertrain, chassis, and zone control designs. The new devices provide a 33% increase in CPU frequency over previous TC3x models, allowing OEMs to upgrade functionality and integrate advanced safety features without costly platform migrations. This performance headroom supports the transition to software-defined vehicles by enabling more complex control algorithms and diagnostic features while preserving deterministic real-time behavior.
Target applications for the 400 MHz class include engine management systems (EMS) requiring compliance with Euro 7 and China 7 standards through tighter real-time control loops. In safety-critical systems like electronic stability control (ESC), the higher frequency facilitates faster response times and increased sensor input processing. By maintaining continuity with existing AURIX TC3x software and safety concepts, the new performance class reduces migration risk and redesign effort for Tier-1 suppliers fast-tracking ECU enhancements.
Quintauris Altair Profile
Quintauris announced Altair, a profile specification designed to establish a stable, binary-compatible foundation for RISC-V embedded systems. The specification targets MCU-class systems by defining mandatory and optional ISA extensions, privilege modes, and execution assumptions to eliminate architectural uncertainty across vendors. This framework is intended to address fragmentation in industrial, automotive, and real-time deployments where product lifecycles often exceed a decade.
The Altair profile ensures predictable RTOS and firmware behavior while enabling software portability at the CPU level across compliant implementations. By providing a consistent baseline, the specification reduces the optimization effort for compilers and software stack providers, protecting long-term investments in mission-critical embedded ecosystems. This approach allows semiconductor manufacturers to maintain microarchitectural differentiation while adhering to a standardized execution profile necessary for industrial-grade RISC-V adoption.