Because of the US chip ban and the shortage of Nvidia's GPUs, many China-based cloud service providers (CSPs) have turned to domestically produced chips with higher energy consumption that require stronger heat dissipation solutions, for their AI needs. This is thus bringing new business opportunities to China's local cooling solution providers, according to sources in the cooling solution business.
Chinese EVs are establishing a foothold in the European market. The European Commission has said it will launch an anti-subsidy investigation on cheap EVs imported from China. EV suppliers said it is necessary for Chinese companies to develop overseas markets. However, the concern about data privacy, which has emerged in several sectors, will likely hinder their efforts.
As the automotive industry gets out of the downturn, sales have grown steadily. Taiwan-based automotive safety parts suppliers Iron Force Industrial Co. and Orange Electronic both said industry recovery has benefited their operations.
Autonomous driving solutions developer Mobileye and China-based automaker FAW announced on September 14 that they have established a strategic partnership. Mobileye's SuperVision and Chauffeur platforms will enable advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on FAW's vehicles starting at the end of 2024.
Tesla's Mexican plant is under construction. Besides the EV giant, emerging US carmakers like Lucid and Rivian and veteran General Motors and Ford all plan to set up a production base at the US-Mexico border. Monterrey and Juarez City host most of the companies.
Inventec and Renesas Electronics have agreed to jointly design automotive-grade gateway solutions for the rapidly-growing electric vehicle (EV) market, according to the company. A proof-of-concept (PoC) for connected gateways based on Renesas' industry-leading R-Car system-on-chip (SoC) will be developed for Tier-1 automotive suppliers and OEMs.
China-based new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturers have scaled up in the past years, driving the semiconductor market growth. The automotive-grade MCU market has also expanded.
Qualcomm announced several partnerships centered on automotive technologies at IAA Mobility 2023. It will collaborate with two-wheeler makers like Gogoro and deepen ties with Mercedes-Benz, JLR, BMW and other leading carmakers. Qualcomm will also work with Amazon AWS on self-driving technologies and software-defined vehicles.
Bosch, the global leader among Tier 1 automotive suppliers, recently announced its exit from the development of high-end autonomous vehicle LiDAR sensors and that it is reallocating its resources toward mmWave radar and other sensing technologies.
The MEMS and Sensors Forum, part of Semicon Taiwan 2023, was held on September 5. Keynote speaker Prashanth Doreswamy, president and CEO of Continental Automotive Components (India) Pvt., said the primary catalyst of automotive technology development has shifted from horsepower to chips. Next-generation cars rely on electronics to enhance their performance.
China-based autonomous driving chip developer Horizon Robotics is showcasing solutions for smart driving and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) powered by its Journey chip series at IAA Mobility 2023. The company said deliveries of the Journey chips are approaching four million units.
LG Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture between LG Electronics and tier-1 automotive supplier Magna International, announced on September 4 that it will build a new production facility in Hungary. Construction is expected to be finished in 2025.
The increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EV) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) has led to the progressive development of automotive PCBs toward miniaturization and high computing, which is expected to drive the utilization of high-density interconnect (HDI) technology in the automotive industry, resulting in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.5% for automotive HDI boards between 2022 and 2028, according to market sources.
China-based EV company Xpeng announced that it will acquire the smart EV project of Didi Global, a local ride-hailing leader. Xpeng also said it aims to launch a new vehicle model priced around CNY150,000 (US$20,582) in 2024 under a strategic partnership with Didi.
Taiwan, which boasts its ICT industry, sees the opportunity to grow in the automotive market as vehicle electronics and architecture (VEA) develops. However, industry sources said practices adopted by the ICT industry has impeded the automotive software advance in Taiwan.
India's engineering solutions providers have been quick to capitalize on the recent global interest in electric vehicles. One of the key players in this field is Tata Elxsi, which stands as a leading entity in delivering engineering solutions within the automotive industry with strategic partnerships and initiatives.
The technology of Taiwan-based AutoSys is based on automotive vision algorithms. Its software expertise helps customers reduce the use of chips, making it NXP's third-party software partner.
Tech giant Xiaomi reportedly took a step forward to begin mass production of its EVs next year. The company has received approval from the Chinese government and plans to produce 100,000 EVs annually, according to Reuters.
China's autonomous driving startup Momenta reportedly has recruited the Oppo-disbanded Zeku chip design team to support its in-house chip development, and has also partnered with Chinese EV maker IM Motors to release a roadmap for the deployment of self-driving solutions, aiming to build a solid presence in the autonomous driving field.
Driver monitoring has become a critical focus of automotive safety systems as distracted driving remains the primary cause of car accidents. Israel-based Cipia develops driver-monitoring systems enabled by computer vision AI. The company has gained a presence in China, poised to scale up in the US and Europe.
The era of software-defined automobiles is approaching, and while electronic control units (ECUs) are becoming more streamlined, the computing and integration capabilities of the center console of the vehicle computer will become stronger. The use of various types of peripheral sensor chips will increase dramatically.
China has been aggressively developing level 3 vehicle autonomy in recent years. According to local media reports, the country has formed a shared opinion that the driver of an L3 autonomous car will claim responsibility first under any circumstances in an accident caused by their vehicle. The consensus will likely be applied to accidents caused by vehicles with L4 and L5 autonomy in the future.
Both Mercedes-Benz with its level 3 automated driving and Tesla have actively approached China with their full self-driving solutions (FSD). Despite not yet receiving formal approval for entry, Chinese media highlights Tesla's ongoing deployment of an on-site FSD team within China.
A recent official statement from Tesla discloses the establishment of a data center in China, intended to house all data generated by its vehicles in the country. This strategic move is believed to play a pivotal role in Tesla's establishment of its FSD team in China. This also indirectly signals the activation of Tesla's supercomputer within China.
TSMC has become a critical supplier for major automakers in the US, Japan and Europe. According to Jerry Wang, chairman of the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), Taiwan boasts leading electronics components and ability in system integration in addition to a complete semiconductor ecosystem. The companies' mastery will benefit future car development.
TSMC has officially entered the European automotive supply chain with plans to establish a joint venture fab in Dresden, Germany, relieving European automakers' concerns about chip shortages. However, this may addresses only half of their concerns, because only when the self-production of lithium batteries is successfully achieved as planned can the overall transition to vehicle electrification and automation (VEA) in the European automotive sector proceed more smoothly, according to industry observers.
