Exploring the Evolution of Automotives from Horsepower to Chip Power

Let’s go back a few years in life and think about how we used to think of futuristic cars. You might have thought about a car being much more than just a mode of transport, having some luxurious features, or cars that require minimal to no human assistance that change their functioning and features according to the road conditions or weather conditions. Believe it or not, this is becoming a reality as cars are coming with many more features, making the driving experience much more streamlined and user-friendly.

These advancements in cars are possible thanks to the increasing integration of automotive semiconductors. In this blog, we will ride through what semiconductors are, how they work, what the latest advancements are going on in this particular market, and the different companies that are competing in this automotive semiconductor market.

What Are Semiconductors?

Semiconductors are a type of device that have conduction between a conductor and an insulator. They are basically segmented into two types: intrinsic semiconductors and extrinsic semiconductors. Semiconductors are used in the making of various day-to-day life appliances such as transistors, solar panels, sensors, and electric circuits. Also, with technological advances, these devices find a diverse range of applications in modern vehicles.

Which Are the Leading Automotive Semiconductor Companies?

Several leading companies are at the forefront of the automotive semiconductor market, driving innovation and shaping the future of the automotive and transportation market. Following is a list of some of the key players in the automotive semiconductors market.

• NXP Semiconductors: Founded in 2006 in Eindhoven, Netherlands, NXP Semiconductors is known for its expertise in manufacturing automotive semiconductors. NXP provides a wide range of solutions for power management, ADAS, and in-vehicle networking.
• Infineon Technologies: Infineon Technologies was founded in Neubiberg, Germany, in 1999. Infineon Technologies is known as a global leader in power semiconductors. Infineon offers solutions for power management, motor control, and sensor technologies.
• Renesas Electronics: A major supplier of automotive semiconductors, Renesas Electronics is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and was founded in 2002. Renesas provides a diverse range of products for power management, microcontrollers, and analog/mixed-signal ICs.
• STMicroelectronics: STMicroelectronics was founded from the merger of two state-owned semiconductor manufacturers, Thomson Semiconductors from France and SGS Microelettronica from Italy, in 1987 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. STMicroelectronics offers a broad range of automotive semiconductors and solutions, including microcontrollers, power management ICs, and sensors.
• Texas Instruments: Texas Instruments is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA. It was established in 1930. Texas Instruments is a leading semiconductor company that makes use of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It is known for its supply of a wide range of analog and embedded processing solutions for automotive applications.

What Role Do Semiconductors Have in Automobiles?

The semiconductor chips are positioned in the car in a strategic way for performing a variety of functions, such as

Engine Control Units (ECUs): Modernized automobiles are equipped with a number of ECUs that perform monitoring and controlling of a number of specific aspects of the engines of the car. These ECUs include semiconductor chips in order to analyze the data from sensors and perform functions such as fuel injection adjustments, ignition timing optimization, improving fuel efficiency, and emission management.

Driver Assistance: Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features, such as collision avoidance systems and adaptive lane and cruise control, depend mostly on semiconductor chips. These chips analyze data gathered from various sensors, radar, and cameras to make real-time decisions to enhance vehicle safety and minimize accident cases.

Infotainment Systems: Infotainment systems have become one of the most focused parts of modern cars. The semiconductors used in chips permit features like screen touch, in-vehicle audio, voice recognition technology, smartphone or device connectivity, and GPS tracking systems.

Why Are Automotive Semiconductors on the Rise?

By cutting down the board area, semiconductor technology has allowed automobile manufacturers to bring multiple functions together on a single chip, resulting in performance optimization. The rising popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), advanced safety features, convenience, and smart features for comfort have enabled the automotive semiconductor market to flourish extensively as it makes up for an enhanced smart driving experience.

What Are the Latest Trends in Semiconductor Manufacturing?

• Electrification: The shift of the choice of consumers towards EVs is propelling the significant demand for power management semiconductors, battery management systems, and motor control and motor control ICs. These semiconductors and compound semiconductors in ICs help in improving engine efficiency and battery efficiency and make their life longer.
• Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS): ADAS features include adaptive cruise control, adaptive lane controlling, automated emergency braking systems, and lane departure warning, and smart driving depends largely on a variety of combinations of semiconductors and sensors. These features are making the driving experience much safer. Hence, people are leaning towards having such features in the automobile they want, and hence, there is increased demand for semiconductors.
• Autonomous Vehicle: Few automobile companies are focusing more on manufacturing autonomous vehicles and making them more streamlined with little to no human involvement. The development of such vehicles requires highly sophisticated automotive sensors, processors, and communication technologies. This has resulted in more and more demand for semiconductors in the automotive manufacturing market.
• Safety and Security: As vehicles are becoming more complex and modernized, the need for powerful, efficient security solutions increases. Semiconductors play an important role in securing the network of vehicles and also protecting sensitive data.

To Conclude

The future of the automotive semiconductors market looks to be bright, with continuous growth being driven by technological advancements, increasing vehicular complexity, and rising demand for EVs and autonomous vehicles. As the evolution of the automotive semiconductor market goes on, we are expected to see further innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and cybersecurity. As we continue to embrace EVs and autonomous driving, the demand for advanced semiconductors will only continue to grow.

So, the next time you step into a car, take a moment to appreciate the complex network of semiconductors that powers its many features that allow for comfort, convenience, safety, and security features of your car. The future of mobility is here, and it is powered largely by semiconductors.