New cooperation mannequin for software-defined automobiles: CARIAD, the software program unit of Volkswagen Group, and STMicroelectronicsa worldwide semiconductor chief serving prospects throughout the spectrum of electronics functions, will shortly launch the joint improvement of an automotive system-on-chip (SoC).
Collectively, CARIAD and ST are creating completely tailor-made {hardware} for connectivity, vitality administration, and over-the-air updates making automobiles absolutely software-defined, safe, and future-proof. The deliberate cooperation targets the brand new technology of Volkswagen Group automobiles that will likely be based mostly on the unified and scalable software program platform. On the identical time, the events are transferring to agree that TSMC, one of many world’s main devoted semiconductor foundry firms, will manufacture the SoC wafers for ST. With this transfer, CARIAD goals to safe the chip provide for the Volkswagen Group’s automobiles years prematurely.
As a part of its semiconductor technique, CARIAD will enter into direct relationships with semiconductor suppliers at Tier 2 and Tier 3-level for the Volkswagen Group for the primary time. Sooner or later, CARIAD plans to direct Tier 1 suppliers of the Group to make use of solely the SoC co-developed with ST and ST’s commonplace Stellar microcontroller for CARIAD’s zone structure.
“We’re about to launch a groundbreaking new cooperation mannequin for the Volkswagen Group. With the deliberate direct cooperation with ST and TSMC, we’re actively shaping our whole semiconductor provide chain. We’re making certain the manufacturing of the precise chips we want for our automobiles and securing the provision of crucial microchips for years to come back,” says Murat Aksel, Volkswagen Group’s Board Member for Buying. “On this means, we’re setting new requirements in strategic provide chain administration.”
This co-development is a primary for CARIAD and ST. “With the co-development of the system-on-chip with ST forward of us, we’re constantly pursuing our semiconductor technique. The SoC we’re designing will likely be optimally matched to our software program – with out compromise. On this means, we will supply our Group’s prospects the perfect efficiency for his or her automobiles,” says CARIAD CEO Dirk Hilgenberg. “Using a single, optimized structure in all Volkswagen digital management items will give us an infinite increase for the environment friendly improvement of our software program platform.” This effectivity will permit all digital management unit (ECU) gadgets – from microcontrollers to SoCs – to run on a typical primary software program sooner or later.
The brand new SoC goals to enhance ST’s high-performance Stellar microcontroller household by extending its power-efficient real-time capabilities to service-oriented environments. CARIAD is contributing its particular goal necessities and functionalities for the Volkswagen Group automobiles and can assist prolong the structure of ST’s 32-bit Stellar Automotive microcontroller.
“ST designed its Stellar structure particularly to facilitate the transition to software-defined automobiles and CARIAD’s resolution to work with ST to suit the necessities and functionalities of the Volkswagen Group’s next-generation automobiles highlights the success of our method,” mentioned Marco Monti, President of ST’s Automotive and Discrete Merchandise Group. “The mixture of CARIAD’s software program competencies with ST’s design experience and progressive Stellar automotive structure will place the Volkswagen Group to ship best-in-class, related, software-defined automobiles.” CARIAD and STMicroelectronics have agreed on the important thing factors of the cooperation. The main points of the cooperation will now be finalized between the businesses and forged into detailed agreements.
CARIAD will embrace each the collectively developed SoCs based mostly on Stellar and the usual Stellar microcontroller in its new AU1 processor household. Its vary gives CARIAD versatile scaling for numerous functions within the automotive to fulfill the wants of all Volkswagen Group manufacturers. The chips are being designed for all functions within the areas of networking, drivetrain, vitality administration, and luxury electronics – in zone controllers or in servers in VW’s working system, VW.OS. Constructing on Stellar’s distinctive attributes, your entire AU1 processor household will likely be highly effective sufficient to simply map future perform extensions by way of over-the-air updates. Utilizing a typical system structure will allow CARIAD consultants to develop just one primary software program for all digital management items (ECU), considerably decreasing complexity and accelerating improvement. Furthermore, the Stellar structure encourages the combination of quite a few features into particular person ECUs. This considerably reduces the variety of ECUs within the automotive, growing the cost-effectiveness and reliability of the software program firm.
The collaboration with ST permits CARIAD to additional broaden its experience in semiconductors and achieve further expertise of their co-development. “That is simply step one,” says CARIAD CTO Lynn Longo. “Sooner or later, we additionally purpose to enter into co-development of high-performance semiconductors for advanced features.”
For extra info, go to www.st.com