In connected car news are Renesas, Continental, Telechips, Synopsys, Alpha & Omega, dSPACE, Argus Cyber Security & FPT Automotive.
In this Article
Renesas’ AI Cloud
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, launched a new cloud-based development environment aimed at streamlining the software design process for automotive AI engineers. The new platform, AI Workbench, is an integrated virtual development environment that empowers automotive AI engineers to design, simulate and fine-tune their automotive software – all within the cloud.
With this environment, engineers can immediately begin designing automotive software by leveraging Microsoft Azure services including Azure Compute, IaaS services, Microsoft Entra ID and Azure Security. Instead of installing tools on a PC or obtaining an evaluation board, they can perform tasks such as performance evaluation, debugging and verification using simulation tools online. This approach aligns with the “Shift-Left” approach, which enables software creation and testing earlier in the design cycle, even before the actual hardware becomes available. For example, it is possible to start developing AI-enabled application software to support ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and autonomous driving for the upcoming fifth-generation R-Car System on Chip (SoC) prior to the availability of hardware samples. This environment will serve as a unified development platform for designing and testing Renesas’ scalable automotive SoCs and microcontrollers (MCUs), regardless of product type or application.
The AI Workbench includes the following four functional blocks today. Renesas plans to enhance its offering in the future with additional features such as selected functionality or customization options tailored to support various development processes.
- Upgraded AI Compiler Toolchain
Renesas will upgrade its SoC AI compiler toolchain with a novel “Hybrid Compiler (HyCo)” architecture and make it available through the AI Workbench. The new HyCo architecture developed in house and kernel libraries will allow engineers to unlock broader AI model and ONNX operator coverage, beyond the coverage of existing-third party hardware accelerator compilers available on Renesas SoCs such as DSPs and NPUs. - AI Model Performance Testing Environment
Renesas will provide NNPerf, an online test environment for developers to evaluate the performance of AI models running on live Renesas SoCs with an updated hybrid AI compiler. Testing will run on real hardware in Renesas’ global device farm without the need for evaluation boards. With the ability to batch code programs, perform real-time inference tests, and compare performance across different AI models, application engineers can estimate and make decisions on tradeoffs between models, memory footprints, latency and more. - Software Development Environment
Microsoft’s code editor, Visual Studio Code (VSCode) and a software development kit (SDK) from Renesas are both available in the cloud. Using the tool suite, developers can launch their development environment in the cloud in a matter of minutes. Developers can customize their independent development environment and perform all design work using just a web browser on their PC. - Software Evaluation/Verification Environment
Renesas will also provide an environment for developers to test and verify their application software using the AI models defined in the AI model performance testing tool NNPerf. This includes simulators such as SILS (Software in the Loop Simulator), and HILS (Hardware in the Loop Simulator), allowing users to verify the operation designed for their specific AI application.
The AI Workbench will be available in January 2024 in limited preview. Renesas plans to expand availability of the AI Workbench from Q2 2024 and build similar environments for other major cloud services in the future. Additionally, Renesas will consider integrating tools provided by partners of the R-Car Consortium into the cloud environment for improved efficiency. More information about the AI Workbench is available at: renesas.com/ai-workbench.
Continental & Telechips for Cockpit HPC
Korean semiconductor company Telechips supplies Continental with its Dolphin System on Chip (SoC) family. The SoC is adapted to the pre-integrated function set of Continental’s Smart Cockpit High-Performance Computers (HPCs) and offers ideal system performance for cluster, infotainment and visualization of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). With the new hardware, a sweet spot between performance, costs, and reduced development times is achieved. The Smart Cockpit HPC is designed for typical cockpit setups with driver and central displays, as well as assistance systems with up to five cameras.
“Collaborating with Telechips, we are enormously reducing development effort and costs for automotive manufacturers. Thus, we will be able to serve our customers from order intake to series production in 18 months,” explains Jean-François Tarabbia, Head of the Architecture and Networking business area at Continental.
The new Smart Cockpit HPC solution combines the powerful processors of the Dolphin family with pre-integrated functions, enabling great user experience beyond the premium segment.
“We are grateful to have established a collaboration with Continental, a global leader in automotive technology. Telechips, now adopted as the standard for Continental’s Smart Cockpit HPC solution, has recently met key international standards such as ISO26262, TISAX, and ASPICE. This demonstrates full readiness for a leap as a comprehensive global semiconductor solution company. Through this partnership with Continental, Telechips will actively pursue collaboration beyond the ‘Smart Cockpit’, contributing to the evolution of ‘E/E Architecture’ and shaping the future of mobility.” says JK Lee, the CEO of Telechips.
With the newly added SoC, Continental offers another building block in the ecosystem from road to cloud. Telechips’ processors enable extensive Smart Cockpit functions on up to three displays. This includes, among others, visualization of “Surround View”: The scalable 360-degree-view solution is based on four cameras and enables the monitoring of the entire area around the vehicle as well as the generation of different perspectives of the vehicle.
The driver benefits from this in a wide range of scenarios – from parking and maneuvering at low speeds to pedestrian and vehicle detection, for example in city traffic. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from January 9-12, 2024, in Las Vegas, product demonstrations of various Smart Cockpit solutions from Continental and Telechips will take place.
With the Smart Cockpit HPC, Continental is taking the driving experience to the next level. Together with Google Cloud, Continental is one of the world’s first automotive suppliers to integrate an innovative dialog system into the Smart Cockpit High-Performance Computer. Its underlying generative AI compiles information to answer drivers’ questions – for example, about the correct tire pressure or sights along the route. The partnership with Google Cloud was announced at IAA Mobility in September 2023.
Continental was the first supplier to pave the way for HPC-based vehicle architecture. Together with Volkswagen, Continental transferred the first central HPC for the entire vehicle networking of the ID. electric models into series production. By the end of 2024, 30 vehicle models from various manufacturers will go into production with Continental’s HPC.
Continental & Synopsys
Continental announced a collaboration with Synopsys to accelerate the development and validation of software features and applications for the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV). This new collaboration integrates Synopsys’ industry-leading virtual prototyping solutions for virtual Electronic Control Units (vECU) within Continental’s Automotive Edge (CAEdge) cloud-based development framework. The results are digital twin capabilities for software development that help automakers accelerate software development and speed up their time to market.
“The Software-Defined Vehicle requires working on hardware, software, applications, and validation in parallel, all while maintaining the highest level of quality and safety,” said Gilles Mabire, CTO at Continental Automotive. “Synopsys’ virtual ECUs and vehicle digital twin capabilities enable us to develop and test advanced software solutions earlier, so they can be deployed to vehicles faster.”
Using virtual environments to develop real-world solutions
The modern SDV promises drivers a cutting-edge user experience with continuously improved and enhanced software features. In order to fulfill this demand, car manufacturers and suppliers rely on comprehensive tools to simulate the performance of digital features and confirm their compatibility with existing and new car models. CAEdge provides vehicle manufacturers and their partners with a cloud-based development environment for software-intensive vehicle architectures, to develop solutions in a fraction of the time traditionally needed. Its modular hardware and software platform connects the vehicle to the cloud and features a virtual workbench to develop, supply and maintain software-intensive system functions. Within this framework, digital representations of the real-world physical devices, such as vECUs and the vehicle digital twin, facilitate the development and validation of software solutions prior to general hardware availability.
“The Software-Defined Vehicle focuses automotive development and innovation on the software that offers customers real added-value,” explains Gilles Mabire. “By combining our CAEdge framework with Synopsys’ virtual ECU technologies, we are directly addressing the vehicle manufacturers’ needs to accelerate software development and automate software validation in a modern cloud-based environment.”
Broad range of abstraction available for vECUs and digital twins
The Synopsys virtual prototyping tools simplify the deployment of individual vECU and vehicle digital twins by combining multiple vECUs with vehicle dynamics, sensor and environment simulations. They support the full range of vECUs abstraction (L1 through L4), mixed abstraction vehicle simulation, and come with the largest library of models developed within an automotive semiconductor and software ecosystem. Together with CAEdge, developers can benefit from the full power of a digital twin in the development pipeline for the SDV, automating both the software validation and delivery process during development and throughout the vehicle’s entire lifecycle.
“The combination of CAEdge and Synopsys virtual prototyping tools marks a significant step in accelerating the deployment of the Software-Defined Vehicle,” said Tom De Schutter, VP of Engineering in the Systems Design Group at Synopsys. “Bringing together Continental’s proven track record in design, software and manufacturing of complex automotive systems at scale with Synopsys’ proven vECU technologies, we are expanding and speeding the automotive design process from physical to virtual.”
Alpha & Omega TOLL Package
Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited (AOS) (Nasdaq: AOSL), a designer, developer, and global supplier of a broad range of discrete power devices, wide band gap power devices, power management ICs, and modules, announced the release of its state-of-the-art automotive TO-Leadless (TOLL) package for the company’s automotive grade 80V and 100V MOSFETs. AOS’s TOLL package is developed to optimize the company’s power semiconductors as essential components in the evolution of e-mobility such as 2- and 3-wheel and other light vehicles. This new package helps designers meet the ongoing trend to electrify vehicles with the latest battery technology to meet clean energy zero-emission goals. These capabilities make AOS 80V and 100V MOSFETs ideally suited for automotive BLDC motor and battery management applications for e-mobility.
The AOS automotive TOLL package is designed to achieve the highest current capability using AOS’s innovative approach which utilizes advanced clip technology to achieve a high in-rush current rating. In addition, AOS TOLL packaging with clip technology offers a very low package resistance and inductance, enabling improved EMI performance compared to other TOLL packages utilizing standard wire-bonding technology. With the combination of low ohmic and high current capability, utilizing AOS TOLL packaging also allows designers to reduce the number of parallel MOSFETs in high current applications. This, in turn, helps to enable higher power density requirements without compromising reliability in applications where robustness and reliability are key design objectives.
Providing a more compact solution for space-constrained designs, the AOTL66810Q (80V) and AOTL66912Q (100V) have a 30 percent smaller footprint compared to a TO-263 (D2PAK) package. These new devices in TOLL packaging are qualified to AEC-Q101, PPAP capable, and are manufactured in IATF 16949 certified facilities making them ideally suited for demanding application requirements in e-mobility. AOS TOLL devices are also compatible with automated optical inspection (AOI) manufacturing requirements.
“Using the AOS Automotive TOLL package with clip technology offers significant performance improvements in a robust package. The advanced technologies in our AOTL66810Q and AOTL66912Q MOSFETs will help simplify new designs allowing them to reduce the number of devices in parallel while providing the necessary higher current capability to enable overall system cost savings,” said Peter H. Wilson, Marketing Sr. Director of MOSFET product line at AOS.
Technical Highlights
|
Part Number |
VDS (V) |
VGS (±V) |
Continuous Drain |
Pulsed Drain |
RDS(ON) Max (mOhms) |
|
|
@25°C |
@100°C |
@25°C |
||||
|
AOTL66810Q |
80 |
20 |
445 |
247 |
1780 |
1.25 |
|
AOTL66912Q |
100 |
20 |
370 |
269 |
1480 |
1.7 |
Pricing and Availability
The AOTL66810Q and AOTL66912Q MOSFETs are immediately available in production quantities with a lead time of 14-16 weeks. The unit prices in 1,000-piece quantities are $4.3 and $4.56, respectively.
dSPACE & Argus Cyber Security
dSPACE, one of the world’s leading providers of solutions for simulation and validation, and Argus Cyber Security, a world leader in automotive cyber security, today announced a technology partnership aimed at streamlining the development and compliance of automotive embedded systems.
Through this partnership, the companies enable early-stage (shift left) cyber security testing. By integrating the Argus automation tool – Argus Fuzzing – with dSPACE’s SCALEXIO Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) systems, dSPACE can now offer vehicle manufacturers and suppliers a continuous integration, delivery, and testing (CI/CD/CT) toolchain enhanced with cutting-edge cyber security testing capabilities from Argus.
As automotive systems grow in complexity, developers need to perform cyber security testing early and often to reduce the risks and costs of late-stage vulnerability discoveries. Accordingly, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers are looking to incorporate cyber security testing in their CI/CD/CT pipelines and related workflows. This shift left approach enables developers to increase product quality through more frequent tests, while shortening time-to-market by allowing for faster and cost-effective fixes. This trend accompanies the increased need for cyber security testing across the industry as a result of new regulations such as WP.29-UNR 155, ISO/SAE 21434 and the focus on software-defined vehicles.
“The partnership with Argus enables our customers to perform cybersecurity testing on our test platforms which have already been established for functional testing for many years. As the challenges in automotive cybersecurity continue to grow, mature test procedures become more important. Performing cybersecurity tests using our fully automated HIL systems, which are already highly integrated into our customers’ processes, is a reasonable next step. That is why we are excited to partner with a strong and experienced cybersecurity service provider such as Argus”, said Dr. Herbert Schütte, Executive Vice President Real-Time Test & Development Solutions.
The partnership enables dSPACE customers to accelerate development timelines and reduce testing personnel by combining cybersecurity testing with network, sensor, and fault simulations. Leveraging Argus’ expertise gained through decades of cyber security research allows automotive manufacturers and suppliers to conduct cyber security testing more efficiently and scalable.
“Our partnership with dSPACE leverages the respective strengths and know-how of each company to set a new industry standard for cyber security testing,” said Ran Ish-Shalom, VP Strategy and Product at Argus Cyber Security. “The integrated solution elevates the cost-effectiveness and scale at which automotive cyber security testing can be conducted, helping the industry deliver on the promise of cyber-secure automotive systems in an increasingly connected world.”
FPT Automotive for SDV
Global technology services provider FPT officially launches its automotive technology subsidiary – FPT Automotive. With a mission to drive the advancement of software-defined vehicles (SDV), shape the new mobility era, and deliver the highest standards of safety and superior experiences to customers, FPT Automotive sets its sights on becoming a billion-dollar world-class automotive services and products provider in 2030.
FPT Automotive offers a comprehensive suite of engineering services encompassing in-vehicle infotainment, Electronic Control Units (ECU), functional safety, security, automotive UI/UX design, wireless connectivity, and digital engineering. Central to these offerings is MaaZ, the proprietary AUTOSAR for turn-key ECU solutions. Leveraging its strength in software development, the company aims to empower global tier-1 suppliers, OEMs, and chipmakers to enhance market competitiveness and deliver more connected, intelligent, sustainable, and future-ready vehicles.
The company ensures full compliance with industry standards such as ISO26262 for functional safety management and Automotive SPICE for software development processes in the automotive sector. FPT Automotive currently has a global team of 4,000 automotive software engineers and experts across diversified delivery models, allowing streamlined solutions, optimized cost, and adaptability to clients’ and industry’s changing requirements. Its major markets include the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam.
The launch of FPT Automotive responds to the global demand for SDVs, aligns with FPT’s strategic investment in automotive product engineering services and solutions, and leverages its extensive expertise. It allows a more client-centric approach, accelerated by global account management and M&As.
“With more than 10 years of experience in the automotive industry, a diverse pool of talented human resources, the latest technologies like AI, cloud computing, and computer vision, as well as partnerships and investments with renowned companies like Landing AI and Cardinal Peak, we aspire to accelerate the rapid development of automotive, a sector now determined by software,” said FPT Corporation Founder and Chairman, Dr. Truong Gia Binh.