In connect car news are Honda, Renesas, Photonic, Silicon Motion, Sony, Aurora Labs, Stratasys, Toyota & Ansys.
Honda Pilot in Ohio
DriveOhio, the smart mobility hub of The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), has awarded over $700,000 for a two-year research project led by Honda and three technology partners – i-Probe Inc., The University of Cincinnati, and Parsons (NYSE: PSN). The partners will develop a road condition management system that will use vehicle-generated data to identify and report hazardous road conditions in Ohio. Honda will lead the project, leveraging the research it conducted in 2022 and the Honda Drive Data Service* from Honda Motor Co., Ltd., with the funding to cover project work by the three partners.
Honda pilots prototype road condition management system with three tech partners and Ohio Department of Transportation.In addition to increased efficiencies and potential cost savings for the state of Ohio, the project could help make roads safer and reduce the cost to consumers associated with vehicle damage due to road hazards. ODOT is responsible for nearly 50,000 lane miles and almost 45,000 bridges across the state. Through early identification of roadway issues like potholes or damaged guardrail, ODOT’s maintenance crews may be able to respond faster and make repairs before conditions worsen. Furthermore, the vehicle-generated data could instantly link inspectors to near real-time information, potentially reducing the need for time-consuming visual inspections.
The initiative will build on a pilot program conducted by the Honda Research Institute in 2022, which evaluated a road condition management system using GPS coordinates and cameras to collect real-time road condition information.
During the new two-year project, Honda test vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistive Systems (ADAS) will collect road condition data on select routes that will be analyzed and evaluated to pinpoint roadway damage and inform road maintenance operations in Ohio. In the future, ADAS-equipped vehicles could become part of an active road maintenance system that collects anonymized road hazard information for analysis and appropriate action by road maintenance crews.
Honda has been a leader in the U.S. in advancing connected vehicle and connected infrastructure research and pilot programs. By empowering drivers to participate and contribute to building a safer and better roadway, this will significantly enhance the customer experience while potentially improving the efficiency of maintenance work for road operators like ODOT.
Scope of Two-year Project
Working closely with ODOT, the partner companies will integrate their respective technologies with Honda test vehicles for data collection and analysis of the roads located in rural and urban areas. The project will focus on the following roadway conditions:
- Roadway striping deficiencies that affect some driver assistance features, such as lane-keeping assist functions
- Pothole development, including size and location
- Ride quality of the road, regardless of the vehicle’s age or condition
- Guardrail and cable road barrier damage
- Road sign wear, including missing signs
- Condition of berms, including the percentage and depth of drop off
Honda and the partner companies will provide the roadway condition data to ODOT through a web dashboard. ODOT will use the data to cross-reference its regular visual inspections. The results of the analysis will be used to enhance the machine learning algorithm Honda uses to generate the web-based dashboards. After the project, ODOT will evaluate the possibilities and value-add for long-term use of such data for maintenance as well as for other ODOT operations.
Quantum Arch from Photonic
Photonic Inc., a company building one of the world’s first scalable, fault-tolerant, and unified quantum computing and networking platforms based on photonically linked silicon spin qubits, today introduced its quantum architecture. Photonic’s unique approach to quantum computing stands to accelerate innovation across the quantum ecosystem.
“Quantum computing is real, and we believe that—within five years, significantly sooner than the widely accepted timeframe—we will be the first quantum computing company to offer a scalable, distributed, and fault-tolerant solution,” said Dr. Stephanie Simmons, Founder and Chief Quantum Officer of Photonic and Co-chair of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy Advisory Board. “These are the capabilities that must be delivered for quantum computing to be a relied upon across industries, and we believe that we have correctly identified the silicon T centre as the missing component needed to finally unlock the first credible path to impactful commercial quantum computing.”
Photonic specializes in spin-photon interfaces in silicon, silicon integrated photonics, and quantum optics. Photonic has committed to silicon—the chemical element serving as the backbone of modern telecommunications and computation—as the dominant enabling design in quantum computing.
To become universally accessible and useful, quantum computing must be able to:
- achieve large numbers of identical, manufacturable, high-quality qubits
- operate under diverse environmental conditions
- communicate rapidly and reliably among those qubits over networks
Leveraging colour centers and telecom photons, Photonic’s patented technology provides computing (with spin qubits), networking (via photons), and memory. Photonic links in silicon deliver quantum entanglement not only between qubits on the same chip but also among multiple quantum chips. Silicon-based qubits enjoy substantially greater microelectronic-style scalability than other types of qubits. Indeed, Photonic’s architecture achieves horizontal scaling. Photonic’s highly connected qubit architecture also enables use of efficient quantum error correction codes, such as quantum LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) codes. These codes are known for extremely low physical to logical qubit overheads and fast and efficient hardware implementation.
Such attributes will prove increasingly crucial as quantum computing drives more applications. For example, Photonic’s technology can deliver unparalleled security to global digital communications, offering a solution to the cybersecurity threat posed by the development of quantum computing. Beyond internet cybersecurity, quantum computing promises transformative capabilities for modelling and simulation of complex systems and processes in areas such as climate modelling, materials development, and creation of life-saving pharmaceuticals.
“Ultimately, the breadth of problems to which quantum computing can offer a solution means it will have a tangible, meaningful impact on people all around the world,” said Dr. Paul Terry, Photonic Chief Executive Officer. “We’re moving to large-scale, accessible quantum computers networked together to provide access to quantum services that will enable companies and governments to suddenly tackle problems that are, right now, beyond our capabilities because of the inescapable constraints of classical computing. It’s incredibly thrilling to be on the cusp of this inflection point in quantum computing and, more broadly, physics history.”
Photonic, which has built one of the world’s largest teams of quantum silicon experts, has raised a total of $140 million USD in funding to date, and benefits from leveraging the globally mature manufacturing ecosystem for semiconductors and telecoms. The company is led by innovators with deep expertise in delivering disruptive technologies.
Dr. Simmons is a Tier 2 Canada research chair in silicon quantum technologies and a Canadian Institute for Advanced Research fellow in quantum information science. She is an associate professor in the physics department at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, who has twice been accorded a Physics World Top 10 Breakthrough of the Year (2013 and 2015) for her work in silicon quantum technologies.
Dr. Terry is a seasoned executive, entrepreneur, engineer, and angel investor who has founded or has been one of the founding employees at six successful companies in areas from big data systems to supercomputing, to IP services and telecom networking.
In related news, Photonic also announced today Photonic Collaborating with Microsoft to Power Global Quantum Ecosystem, and Photonic Raises $100 Million USD for Quantum Technology from BCI, Microsoft, and Other Investors. In addition, a Photonic technical paper, Scalable Fault-Tolerant Quantum Technologies with Silicon Colour Centres, details the company’s novel architecture, and a Microsoft blog post, Microsoft and Photonic join forces on the path to quantum at scale, offers more perspective on that company’s collaboration with Photonic. offers more perspective on that company’s collaboration with Photonic.
Silicon Motion at NXP Tech Day
Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (NasdaqGS: SIMO) (“Silicon Motion”), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, announcee its participation at NXP Tech Days Detroit from November 7-8 at St. John’s resort, Plymouth. Silicon Motion, a Registered Partner of NXP, will showcase the NXP i.MX93 Evaluation Kit (EVK) with Silicon Motion’s Ferri-eMMC. The Ferri-eMMC features cutting-edge firmware design, advanced NAND management, industry-leading low dppm, and AEC-Q100 qualification for automotive.
Silicon Motion’s Ferri-eMMC has been adopted by multiple automotive OEMs and Tier 1s around the world. Now, it has been fully tested to be compatible with the NXP’s iMX93 EVK – a leading automotive platform. The combined solution from both companies will enable best in class automotive storage platform and storage subsystem for infotainment systems and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) by taking advantage of the i.MX93 application processor’s advanced capability to enable developers to create more capable, cost-effective and energy-efficient ML applications.
Silicon Motion specializes in developing high-performance, standards compliant and reliable NAND Flash storage solutions for automotive applications including infotainment systems, ADAS, and telematics. Silicon Motion’s automotive solutions adhere to various automotive processes and certifications, including:
- AEC-Q100 compliance
- ISO 26262 functional safety standards (ASIL-B)
- ISO 21434 certification for Cyber Security
- IATF 16949 certification for supplier chain compliance
- ASPICE compliance SW development process
- Automotive Service Packaging (ASP)
Silicon Motion offers a wide variety of storage solutions that have already been seamlessly integrated into leading vehicle brands, including automotive-grade SSD, eMMC and UFS. Its presence at NXP Tech Days Detroit reaffirms the company’s dedication to providing state-of-the-art solutions for the automotive sector.
Aurora Labs Results
Aurora Labs, provider of Vehicle Software Intelligence solutions, announces the results of its fourth consecutive annual Automotive Software Survey conducted together with the leading market analysis firm TechInsights (formally Strategy Analytics). The study surveyed more than 200 experts worldwide from the automotive industry, receiving a high level of responses from automakers, T1s, semiconductor vendors and independent software vendors.
The survey reveals continuous enthusiasm about EV adoption with 49% of respondents stating that they own or plan to own an EV in the next 3 years, much the same as in 2022. However, it was interesting to observe the correlation between EV ownership and a general acceptance for new approaches to OTA SW updates, remote maintenance and new business models.
New diversified revenue streams for OEMs:
This year’s survey also includes beneficial outlooks for automotive manufacturers. Paying for features after the point-of-sale proved more popular this year, bolstered by the greater enthusiasm of EV owners, as well as greater preference to download new features. “This year’s fourth annual Automotive Software Survey highlighted an industry that is still very much undergoing rapid change, but which is starting to see the way forward with the OEM’s clear focus on implementing new E/E architectures and internal processes for the EVs,” says Roger Ordman, EVP Marketing & Business Development at Aurora Labs.
51% of EV owners stated that they were willing to pay $20 per month or more, compared with 38% of non-EV owners for vehicle services and features such as software downloads, 21% would even pay up to $50 a month. It was also observed that 62% of EV owners stated that they preferred to download new features, compared with 48% for non-EV owners.
These results indicate that consumers are open to new business models that could bring OEMs additional and recurring revenue streams through software sales. An additional finding supports that conclusion: 64% expect up to 10% additional revenue for OEMs from selling software features Over-The-Air (OTA) by model year 2027.
Seamless and transparent OTA updates are becoming an inevitable key parameter.
When it comes to dealing with OTA updates, the survey highlights an industry that is showing signs of real maturity. It is evident that new industry partnerships will play a very critical role in meeting the challenges of software-defined vehicles. It was observed that 67% of EV owners had experienced more than one OTA update, with a further 10% receiving at least one OTA update, while only 24% of non-EV owners had experienced any OTA updates.
50% of EV owners also expect up to six Over-The-Air (OTA) Updates per vehicle, per year by 2025. Furthermore, it was observed that 37% of owners want OTA updates to be instant without the vehicle being offline during the update process. Lastly, 80% believe that bug fixes or security patches must be updated automatically and transparently.
Vehicle Software Intelligence for enhanced quality
It was observed in the respondent’s answers that there is an increased confidence in the automaker’s software skills as well as a bigger expectation for automakers to develop code in-house. “There was an increase to the proportion of respondents that were ”very” confident that major auto manufactures will have the required software development skills in-house by 2025 to develop advanced E/E architectures, after year-on year falls,” says Ian Riches, VP Automotive Practice at TechInsights.
However, it was also evident that more than 60% believe that it is getting more difficult to debug software errors after the vehicle has shipped from the factory. The respondents highlighted that “ensuring software reliability and safety” was the single most challenging aspect of automotive software development, cited by over 27% of the respondents in the survey.
Rivian Vans for Sale to All
Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN) today announced that it will enable other companies to purchase its custom-designed Rivian Commercial Van. This move provides companies all around the world more opportunity to electrify their delivery fleets with a state-of-the-art vehicle, which will help to further reduce CO2 emissions.
The Rivian Commercial Van is the platform on which Amazon’s custom electric delivery van is based, and is designed from the ground up prioritizing safety, driver comfort, and sustainability. Safety features include automatic emergency braking, collision warnings, and 360-degree visibility – meaning the Rivian Commercial Van is engineered to be among the safest vehicles on the road today.
“Rivian and Amazon share a mission to decarbonize last mile delivery and have been working together since 2019 to make that a reality,” said Udit Madan, vice president of transportation at Amazon. “This has been part of our plan with Rivian from the beginning – we’ve always said that we want others to benefit from their technology in the long run because having more electric delivery vehicles on the road is good for our communities and our planet.”
With the two available vehicle sizes, the vans have a payload of up to 2,734 lb. and up to a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of up to 9,500 lb. Rivian’s in-house software stack controls nearly every interaction, from unlocking the vehicle and opening the door, to charging and acceleration. When applied to the commercial space, this enables Rivian to provide easy access to critical fleet information – including real-time data and remote commands, driver and vehicle insights, alerts and analytics. These tools streamline fleet ownership and minimize costs, while increasing safety and productivity.
“We’re excited to open sales of our electric commercial van to more businesses. Around a quarter of CO2 emitted in the transportation sector in the US comes from commercial vehicles, so it’s imperative we do all we can as soon as possible to help cut emissions,” said RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian. “Amazon is, and will remain, a key partner for us, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Amazon team as we help them to achieve their Climate Pledge goal.”
Renesas’ Roadmap
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, laid out plans for its next-generation system on chips (SoCs) and microcontrollers (MCUs) targeting all major applications across the automotive digital domain.
Renesas provided advance information about its fifth-generation R-Car SoC for high-performance applications with advanced in-package chiplet integration technology, which will provide automotive engineers greater flexibility to customize their designs. For example, if more AI performance is required in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), engineers will have the capability to integrate AI accelerators into a single chip.
The company also shared its plans for two forthcoming MCU product advancements in the next-generation R-Car family. One is a new crossover MCU series designed to deliver the high performance required for domain and zone electronic control units (ECU) in next-generation E/E architectures in automobiles. These MCUs are expected to close the performance gap between traditional MCUs and the advanced R-Car SoCs. Secondly, the company announced plans to introduce a separate MCU platform tailored for the vehicle control market. Both of these MCUs will be powered by Arm® architectures and are set to become an integral part of the industry-leading R-Car family, offering complete scalable options and software reusability for automotive engineers.
As part of its roadmap, Renesas plans to offer a virtual software development environment that aligns with the auto industry’s move toward shift left approach, as this practice is widely known. These software tools will allow customers to design and test software earlier in the development process.
“This roadmap comes after years of collaboration and discussions with Tier 1 and OEM customers,” said Vivek Bhan, Senior Vice President, Co-General Manager of High Performance Computing, Analog and Power Solutions Group at Renesas. “What our customers have been telling us is that they need to be able to accelerate development without compromising quality. This means they must design and verify their software even before hardware arrives. We will help them realize this goal by continuing to invest in shift left and software-first innovations, deploying new scalable embedded processors, and bolstering our vast network of development tools.”
Fifth-Generation R-Car SoC Platform
Until the fourth generation, the R-Car SoCs were designed for specific use cases, such as ADAS/Autonomous Driving that requires high AI performance, and gateway solutions with enhanced communication capabilities. Renesas’ fifth-generation R-Car SoC will incorporate chiplet technology to create a flexible platform that can be customized to meet various requirements for each use case. The new platform will offer multiple processor sets from entry-level to higher-end models, and can integrate a variety of IP such as AI accelerators and IP by partners and customers into a single package. This will give users the option to customize designs according to their needs.
Two New Arm-based MCU Platforms for Vehicle Control Applications
As E/E architecture in vehicles continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly important for domain control units (DCUs) and zone control units to handle both high computing performance and real-time processing. Renesas addresses this challenge by developing an Arm-based 32-bit crossover R-Car MCU platform with built-in NVM (Non Volatile Memory) that can deliver higher performance than traditional MCUs currently offer. Moreover, to build upon the success achieved by the RH850 Family MCUs, Renesas is also extending its vehicle control portfolio with a new R-Car MCU series, which will be also powered by Arm. This means for the first time, automotive system developers will be able to take advantage of the software and vast eco-system of Arm by using these new MCUs to build powertrain, body control, chassis and instrument cluster systems. This expansion will allow Renesas to standardize IP between MCUs and SoCs, thus increasing software usability and preserving engineering investments for its customers.
Renesas plans to release new products subsequently from 2024 onward, following this roadmap.
Software Development Environment
As automotive software grows in size and complexity, the conventional approach of using hardware for software design is becoming outdated due to its lengthy production process. Renesas is already pioneering a virtual development environment for application software, offering advanced debugging and evaluation tools to analyze and evaluate software performance. Renesas will provide these tools for next-generation processors from 1Q 2024. This allows developers to accelerate their software development efforts even before prototypes of the next-generation devices are accessible, enabling them to bring their products to market more rapidly.
About Renesas Electronics Corporation
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) empowers a safer, smarter and more sustainable future where technology helps make our lives easier. The leading global provider of microcontrollers, Renesas combines our expertise in embedded processing, analog, power and connectivity to deliver complete semiconductor solutions. These Winning Combinations accelerate time to market for automotive, industrial, infrastructure and IoT applications, enabling billions of connected, intelligent devices that enhance the way people work and live. Learn more at renesas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Stratasys 3D for Toyota
Stratasys, Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions, announced that Toyota, a global leader in automotive manufacturing and innovation, has signed an agreement to be the first customer to purchase the new, cutting-edge Stratasys F3300 3D printer.
Toyota will utilize the new F3300 for new production support, including parts and fixtures, and also for prototyping applications, to help bring new products to the market faster.
The F3300 is the latest Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM) printer from Stratasys, built to scale additive manufacturing. It is capable of producing complex, high-precision parts that are crucial to vehicle design and usage, from prototypes to end-use components. The printer has increased versatility with fast changeover and loading, automatic calibration, and high throughput. With these features, the F3300 will lower cost-per-part by up to 25 percent, print up to two times faster than any other FDM printers for production, and have 25 percent increased accuracy. The output and possibilities now available with the F3300 align with Toyota’s reputation of delivering high-quality, innovative vehicles to customers around the world.
“Having the opportunity to incorporate the F3300 3D printer into our Additive operations represents a great leap forward towards achieving our corporate goals,” said Eduardo Guzman, Advanced Technologies Manager, Toyota. “The new printer capabilities will help us accelerate the introduction of new additive manufacturing opportunities across our manufacturing operations”
“We have a combined interest in delivering innovation and superior quality for our customers, and this partnership with Toyota demonstrates our mutual commitments to better, smarter, and more sustainable production,” said Rich Garrity, Chief Industrial Business Unit Officer, Stratasys. “Built with manufacturing in mind, the F3300 will redefine additive manufacturing on the factory floor, with its speed, lowers costs and ease of service.”
Stratasys is leading the global shift to additive manufacturing with innovative 3D printing solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products and healthcare. Through smart and connected 3D printers, polymer materials, a software ecosystem, and parts on demand, Stratasys solutions deliver competitive advantages at every stage in the product value chain. The world’s leading organizations turn to Stratasys to transform product design, bring agility to manufacturing and supply chains, and improve patient care.
To learn more about Stratasys, visit www.stratasys.com, the Stratasys blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Stratasys reserves the right to utilize any of the foregoing social media platforms, including Stratasys’ websites, to share material and non-public information pursuant to the SEC’s Regulation FD. To the extent necessary and mandated by applicable law, Stratasys will also include such information in its public disclosure filings.A
Ansys & Sony Image Sensing
Ansys (NASDAQ: ANSS) collaborated with Sony Semiconductor Solutions (Sony) to enhance high-fidelity image sensor simulation and camera-based features in next-generation automotive applications, including AV and ADAS. Ansys Speos can now seamlessly integrate with Sony’s sensor models to streamline development and validation with more precise modeling.
Automotive image sensors must continuously evolve to deliver safer, higher functioning ADAS capabilities. To meet this demand, Ansys developed a novel software interface compatible with Sony’s sensor models, which are based on the internal architecture of image sensors used in camera systems. The interface enables high-fidelity virtual camera testing in various scenarios and contexts, reducing the need for ad-hoc physical camera testing and accelerating verification times.
The users of Sony’s image sensors will now have access to end-to-end automotive-grade simulation fidelity for spectral effects, high dynamic range (HDR), and LED light flicker mitigation. Users can also reproduce image sensor phenomena, such as motion blur and rolling shutter.
“The collaboration between Ansys and Sony will provide an automotive-grade, end-to-end spectral simulation pipeline from lens models to sensor models for the ADAS perception system developers,” said Kenji Onishi, deputy senior general manager, automotive business division, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation. “Sony has prepared a sensor model based on the internal architecture of the image sensors used in camera systems to achieve automotive-grade fidelity.”
Physical prototyping and validation are time consuming, costly, and do not offer the bandwidth that simulation and virtual testing provides. Pairing Ansys simulation with Sony’s sensor models alleviates these challenges through virtual testing. This is particularly beneficial for edge-case scenarios, such as when exiting tunnels.
“The Ansys and Sony technology collaboration facilitates rapid development and verification of camera features for AV and ADAS applications,” said John Lee, vice president and general manager of the electronics, semiconductor, and optics business unit at Ansys. “As a result, the joint workflow yields more robust simulations, greater predictive accuracy, higher-fidelity images, and, ultimately, more reliable AV and ADAS applications.”