Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing

Automotive
The State of California has banned the selling of new vehicles with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2035. All new passenger cars sold in 15 years in California will be zero emission cars, according to an executive order signed by the state’s governor. Older ICE passenger cars will still be allowed on the roads and can still be sold as used vehicles. The order also mandates that “100 percent of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the State be zero-emission by 2045 for all operations where feasible and by 2035 for drayage trucks. It shall be further a goal of the State to transition to 100 percent zero-emission off-road vehicles and equipment by 2035 where feasible.” Issued in the midst of a devastating fire season along the whole West Coast of the United States, where lingering smoke from huge wildfires often made the air dangerous to breath over much of California, Oregon, and Washington states, California’s executive order specifically addresses climate change. The state had been enjoying good air quality and blue skies, one benefit from the pandemic’s shelter-in-place orders that shuttered businesses and kept cars off the road. Those skies contrasted weeks later with orange, smoky skies from wildfires. The California New Car Dealers Association, a lobbying group for the automotive industry, said it had more questions about how this directive can be met, including how the price of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) can be lowered.

The startup SemiDrive’s new ISO 26262-compliant smart e-cockpit, central gateway, autonomous driving and ADAS chips are being powered by Arteris IP’s FlexNoC & Resilience Package, according to a press release.

Xilinx and the automotive company Continental are working on a production-ready 4D imaging radar for autonomous driving.

Automotive supplier dSpace is using Nvidia DRIVE Sim in its own high-fidelity automotive simulation model (ASM) for autonomous vehicle simulation testing. The dSPACE ASM vehicle dynamics model is an accurate and detailed simulation of systems in the car, and how they behave in simulated traffic situations, based on real-life data.

Suburu is using ON Semiconductor’s Image Sensing Technology in the new versions of the car makers’ EyeSight advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). Levorg, a 2020 All-Wheel Drive Sports Tourer, is the first model to offer the new system, according to a press release.

Intel Mobileye’s SuperVision surround-view advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) with over-the-air (OTA) update capabilities is being used in Lynk & Co CoPilot, the ADAS in a new high-end electric vehicle, the Zero Concept. The Zero Concept is a Lynk & Co branded vehicle from China-based Geely Auto Group. Mobileye, based in Israel, also is now working with the United Arab Emirates-based Al Habtoor Group (AHG) on deploying autonomous vehicles and mobility services in Dubai, UAE.

Maxim Integrated has a lower-cost sensor that could put dynamic gesture sensing in more automotive systems, and eventually other consumer and industrial systems. The sensor system senses nine gestures, including dynamic swipe and hand-rotation sensing, without time-of-flight cameras. The MAX25205 is an AEC-Q100 optical IR sensor in a single chip with 60 photo diode array, LED driver, and internal LDO (low dropout regulator). A four-LED IR light source lights up the hand and the reflected signal is analyzed by the MAX25205’s 6×10 (60 pixel) IR sensor array, with an embedded microcontroller interpreting the gestures. The automotive application uses are central information display control; door, moon roof, and trunk control; mechanical switch replacement; occupant detection; and rear-seat entertainment systems. “Cost reduction makes gesture-sensing feasible for automotive, consumer and industrial applications such as smart home hubs, thermostats and others, all without touching the device,” according to a press release. An evaluation kit is available.

Pervasive computing
GlobalFoundries and Cadence are working together on IP that supports for advanced memory interfaces including DDR4, DDR5, GDDR6, LPDDR4X and LPDDR5, as well as chiplet-based PHY IP and Cadence’s flagship 16G multi-protocol SerDes on the GF 12LP platform and 12LP+.

Similarly Synopsys’ Designware IP portfolio for GlobalFoundries 12LP+ includes USB4, PCIe 5.0, Die-to-Die HBI and 112G USR/XSR, 112G Ethernet, DDR5, LPDDR5, MIPI, OTP NVM and more, according to a press release.

Huawei announced its Intelligent Twin program — a one-stop shop architecture to help enterprises and governments upgrade to intelligent systems. The four key components of Intelligent Twins, says Huawei, are intelligent interactions, intelligent connectivity, intelligent applications, and the intelligent hub. 

IoT
Looking for a few good innovations in IoT, the SEMI Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for smart new ideas in ambulatory monitoring, wearable technologies for cognitive assessment, and power sources for wearable monitors. New concepts proposals for advancing mobile human monitoring and diagnostic capabilities are also welcome, according to SEMI’s press release. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is funding the RFP. Projects will be awarded with cash budgets ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.

5G
GlobalFoundries and Cadence also announced they have finished a Mixed-Signal OpenAccess PDK (process design kit) for GF 22FDX platform, which means Cadence’s digital, custom, and RF design tools seamlessly interoperate with the GF 22FDX. The PDK will help in the creation of 5G mmWave, edge AI, IoT, and automotive designs, according to a press release from Cadence. Features include advanced mixed-signal floor-planning capabilities and mixed-signal EM-IR drop analysis, among other highlights.

Synopsys’s Fusion Compiler has been expanded and enhanced to work Globalfoundries’ 12LP and 12LP+ (12nm FinFET) platforms and 22FDX (22nm FD-SOI) platforms, specifically for aerospace and defense, automotive, data center, IoT and mobile.

Samsung unveiled a mmWave 5G small cell for indoor use, which Verizon will use first to bring 5G mmWave indoors.

Qualcomm added a new 5G mobile platform to its Snapdragon 7-Series.

Job, Event and Webinar Boards: Find industry jobs and upcoming conferences and webinars all in one place on Semiconductor Engineering. Knowledge Center: Boost your semiconductor industry knowledge. Videos: See the latest Semiconductor Engineering videos.