Designing Crash-Proof Autonomous Vehicles


Autonomous vehicles keep crashing into things, even though ADAS technology promises to make driving safer because machines can think and react faster than human drivers. Humans rely on seeing and hearing to assess driving conditions. When drivers detect objects in front of the vehicle, the automatic reaction is to slam on the brakes or swerve to avoid them. Quite often drivers cannot react q... » read more

Pinpointing Timing Delays Can Improve Chip Reliability


Growing pressure to improve IC reliability in safety- and mission-critical applications is fueling demand for custom automated test pattern generation (ATPG) to detect small timing delays, and for chip telemetry circuits that can assess timing margin over a chip's lifetime. Knowing the timing margin in signal paths has become an essential component in that reliability. Timing relationships a... » read more

3D Structures Challenge Wire Bond Inspection


Adding more layers in packages is making it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to inspect wire bonds that are deep within the different layers. Wire bonds may seem like old technology, but it remains the bonding approach of choice for a broad swath of applications. This is particularly evident in automotive, industrial, and many consumer applications, where the majority of chips are not de... » read more

How Safe Is Safe Enough?


That was the overarching question a group of 180 experts discussed last week at the ISO 26262 & SOTIF conference for four days during #FuSaWeek2023 in Berlin. "How Safe is Safe Enough" is also the title of Prof. Koopman's book from September 2022. I mentioned him in my blog "Are We Too Hard On Artificial Intelligence For Autonomous Driving?" Prof. Koopman was referenced often in Berlin, and... » read more

Going Virtual In Automotive Electronics Development


Developing the electrical/electronic (E/E) systems in automobiles and other vehicles has always been challenging due to the rough environmental conditions experienced on the road and the high expectations for safety and reliability. In recent years, these challenges have been exacerbated by several industry trends. They have triggered a revolution in how electronic control units (ECUs) are desi... » read more

Hardware-Based Cybersecurity For Software-Defined Vehicles


As vehicle technology advances, so does the complexity of the electrical/electronic systems within these smart vehicles. A software-defined vehicle (SDV) relies on centralized compute and an advanced software stack to control most of its functionality, from engine performance to infotainment systems. SDVs are becoming more important as automakers look to improve vehicle performance, reduce emis... » read more

Automotive Security: Meeting The Growing Challenges With Certified Hardware Security Module IP


Automotive systems, and the semiconductors used within them, are some of the most complex electronics seen today. The radical transformation from an isolated mechanical car to a connected software-driven car is driving the increased use of semiconductors in vehicles: these include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electrification, and enhanced driver/passenger experience. More conne... » read more

The Automotive Electric Vehicle Transition


The only really interesting part of the automotive industry is the electric vehicle (EV) segment. These vehicles are also called NEVs in China for "new energy vehicles". The reason that I say this is the only interesting segment is because it is clear that the whole world is moving fast to EVs and internal combustion engines (ICEs) will decline. One challenge for traditional automotive manufact... » read more

Automotive Safety Island


The promise of autonomous vehicles is driving profound changes in the design and testing of automotive semiconductor parts. Automotive ICs, once deployed for simple functions like controlling windows, are now performing complex functions related to advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications. The processing power required results in very large and complex ICs that ... » read more

Designing For In-Circuit Monitors


In every application space the semiconductor ecosystem touches, in-circuit monitors and sensors are playing an increasing role in silicon lifecycle management and concepts around reliability and resiliency — both during design as well as in the field. The combination of true system-level design, in/on-chip monitors, and improved data analysis are expected to drastically improve reliability... » read more

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