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.
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-made EVs are gaining traction in Europe. While these carmakers are striving to gain a global presence, the ongoing price war on their home turf may remain a shared burden.
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.
Samsung Electronics will start offering China-based SemiDrive automotive memory chips. As China has partly banned US-based Micron's products sold in China, whether South Korean-based companies will gain more opportunities accordingly has attracted the industry's attention.
Generative AI is expected to gain more exposure in future cars. Tesla and some China-based car companies are trying to integrate AI into their technologies. While commercialization is yet to come, Chinese automotive suppliers have started making efforts to create a stable supply of high-performance computing chips.
Leading semiconductor companies like NXP, Nvidia and MediaTek are working on using AI in future smart cockpits. Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), which is experienced in system-in-package (SiP) technology, recently said it is collaborating with automotive SoC solution providers to develop automotive compute SiP/SoM modules. The solution will help car OEMs and tier-1 suppliers accelerate smart cockpit development.
Foxconn has developed multiple partnerships as it scales up its semiconductor and EV businesses. The company recently announced a collaboration with US-based semiconductor company Analog Devices (ADI). The pair signed an MoU about jointly developing a new-generation digital cockpit platform and high-performance battery management system.
Samsung Electronics aims to become the world's top vendor of automotive memory products by 2025 after entering mass production of its new automotive universal flash storage (UFS) 3.1 memory solution optimized for in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems and targeting global carmakers and auto components manufacturers.
After surveying and analyzing the showcases at Taipei AMPA & Autotronics Taipei 2023 and E-Mobility Taiwan 2023 held in mid-April, DIGITIMES Research found that this year's event featured a growing number of high-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor applications that significantly boost electrical vehicle (EV) efficiency, while the development of automotive electronics including mmWave radars, head-up displays (HUDs) and rear seat entertainment (RSE) systems are targeting mainly high-end applications, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest report covering the show.
Swedish electric performance car brand Polestar announced on June 19 that it will establish a US$200 million joint venture with China-based technology company Xingji Meizu Group. The duo aims to develop an automotive operating system for Polestar cars sold in China.
In an era where VR devices are focused on going lightweight, Breylon has elected to go the opposite direction. It released the Brelyon Fusion, an 8K OLED VR display with a 155-degrees field of view.
When product autonomy is considered in the long run, it's not surprising to see carmakers and smartphone manufacturers in China vying to cross over into each other's market. However, as seen with Nio, Xiaomi, and Huawei, making a smart car completely in-house with only either the car owner base or the smartphone technology may not be the best market penetration strategy.
Renault SA and a range of technology partners are unveiling a futuristic concept car to showcase advances in biometry, energy efficiency and cybersecurity features.
Germany-based automaker Mercedes-Benz recently obtained its second permit in the US for its L3 autonomous driving technology, Drive Pilot. As 2025, thought to be a watershed year in L3 autonomous vehicles, draws closer, global production plans for these vehicles remain sparse due to strict regulatory constraints on these advanced systems.
Samsung Electronics will enter its first collaboration on automotive semiconductors with Hyundai Motor, as its latest automotive processor, Exynos Auto V920, has been selected to power the Korean automaker's next-generation in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, according to Korean media reports.
Volkswagen and General Motors are both accelerating electrification in China, the world's largest EV market. SAIC Volkswagen Automotive recently started upgrading one of its Shanghai plants for EV production. GM introduced a concept EV in China, demonstrating its local design capability.
To catch up in the world's largest EV market, Volkswagen has focused on software R&D. The European carmaker is reportedly in talks with tech company Huawei to use the latter's software in Volkswagen cars in China, hoping the potential collaboration would facilitate its market share.
Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry), a major player in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, has made significant strides in that field. The company has successfully completed a prototype in a remarkably short period and has made substantial investments in the auto software platform AutoCore.ai. Additionally, Foxconn has developed its own open-source hardware platform, HHEV.OS, aimed at improving the integration of hardware and software in the automotive supply chain.
Korea-based panel makers Samsung Display and LG Display are working keenly to push their AMOLED panels into automotive applications, eyeing more growth, while China-based makers are also doing the same with the take-off of China's new energy car industry, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest study on the AMOLED panel industry.
The HMI (human-machine interface) battle between automakers and mobile phone platforms has been getting fiercer and fiercer. Most automakers are afraid of their business opportunities being swallowed up by Apple's CarPlay, but they've made limited progress in the self-development of operating systems (OS) and related software. However, a recently discovered "data trump card," namely navigation and mileage calculation, has given automakers the confidence to make their move.
A partnership focusing on improving in-vehicle experience has been formed. According to Nikkei Asia, Panasonic, Stellantis, and Amazon will develop an interior control system together as voice assistants are adopted more widely in cars.
Automobiles are poised to be one of the major drivers for the semiconductor industry's growth. To boost its automotive chip capacity, China announced it aims to set up more than 30 standards by 2025, encouraging and regulating related technology development.
