How Software-Defined Vehicles Change Auto Chip Design


The shift to software-defined vehicles is changing nearly every aspect of automotive design, from what hardware is added into vehicles, when it gets added, and what gets left behind. Moving key features to software rather than hardware allows carmakers to bring new features to market faster, at a lower cost, and to modify those features more quickly. It is also expected to drive up the value... » read more

ISO 26262’s Importance Widens Beyond Automotive


The ISO 26262 standard, which has become a mainstay since the trend toward vehicle electrification really took root a decade ago, is starting to gain traction in markets outside of automotive chip and system design. At the center of this expansion is a focus on safety under a variety of conditions — extreme temperatures, unexpected vibration, or a collision that is unavoidable. This includ... » read more

Auto Ecosystem Begins Shift To Software-First


Experts at the Table: The automotive ecosystem is in the midst of an intense evolution as OEMs and tiered providers grapple with how to deal with legacy technology while incorporating ever-increasing levels of autonomy, electrification, and software-defined vehicle concepts. Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss these and other related issues with Wayne Lyons, senior director for the au... » read more

Auto Chip Aging Accelerates In Hot Climates


Automotive chips are aging significantly faster than expected in hot climates with sustained high temperatures, raising concerns about the reliability of electrified vehicles over time and whether advanced-node chips are the right choice for safety-critical applications. Many of the most advanced electronics used in vehicles today are ASIL D-compliant, expected to function up to 125° C. But... » read more

Tools Needed To Track, Catalog Hardware Vulnerabilities


Monitoring for cyberattacks is a key component of hardware-based security, but what happens afterward is equally important. Logging and cataloging identified hardware vulnerabilities to ensure they are not repeated is essential for security. In fact, thousands of weak points have been identified as part of the chip design process, and even posted publicly online. Nevertheless, many companies... » read more

Radar, AI, And Increasing Autonomy Are Redefining Auto IC Designs


Increasing levels of autonomy in vehicles are fundamentally changing which technologies are chosen, how they are used and interact with each other, and how they will evolve throughout a vehicle's lifetime. Entire vehicle architectures are being reshaped continuously to enable the application of AI across a broad swath of functions, prompting increasing investment into technologies that were ... » read more

Where Cryptography Is Headed


Reports began surfacing in October that Chinese researchers used a quantum computer to crack military-grade AES 256-bit encryption. Those reports turned out to be wrong, but that did little to dampen concerns about what would happen if it was true. The looming threat of quantum computers breaking today's encryption, and the stockpiling of encrypted data in preparation for a time when it can ... » read more

Automotive OEMs Focus On SDVs, Zonal Architectures


Giant automotive OEMs are re-evaluating how quickly to move to advanced technologies and software-driven designs amid crushing financial pressure from low-cost EVs developed in other markets such as China. U.S., European, and Japanese OEMs have been struggling for the past half-decade or so to figure out which is the best approach to developing EVs, undergoing multiple shifts in both hardwar... » read more

AI Drives IC Design Shifts At The Edge


The increasing adoption of AI in edge devices, coupled with a growing demand for new features, is forcing chipmakers to rethink when and where data gets processed, what kind of processors to use, and how to build enough flexibility into systems to span multiple markets. Unlike in the cloud, where the solution generally involves nearly unlimited resources, computing at the edge has sharp cons... » read more

Batteries Look Beyond Lithium


Lithium batteries dominate today’s rechargeable battery market, and while they have been wildly successful, challenges with lithium have spurred research into alternative chemistries that can improve on some of lithium’s downsides and still keep as many of the upsides as possible. So far, none of the alternative batteries has seen commercial success, but several variants have moved beyon... » read more

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