Automotive ICs Types and Applications

As automobiles evolve from mechanical systems to electronic and intelligent platforms, onboard chips have become the key engine driving this transformation. The number of chips required for a high-end intelligent vehicle has surged from 600–700 in traditional fuel vehicles to over 3,000.

Automotive-grade chips differ fundamentally from consumer electronics chips. They must operate stably under extreme temperatures, severe vibration, and electromagnetic interference while complying with stringent standards such as the AEC-Q series and ISO 26262.

Computing and Control: The Central Intelligent Brain of the Vehicle

The level of intelligence in modern vehicles largely depends on the performance and architecture of their computing and control chips. These chips can be regarded as the vehicle's "central brain," responsible for handling tasks ranging from basic control to complex intelligent decision-making.

The core of onboard computing chips includes microcontrollers (MCUs) and system-on-chips (SoCs), which together support the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) network.

According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, traditional fuel vehicles require approximately 600–700 chips, while electric vehicles require about 1,600, and advanced intelligent vehicles may exceed 3,000. Among these, MCUs account for about 30% of the total.

Microcontrollers (MCUs) form the foundation of the vehicle's distributed control architecture. A modern vehicle can be equipped with 50 to 100 MCUs, widely distributed across various subsystems such as the powertrain, body control, and safety systems.

These MCUs are responsible for precise control of single functions, such as engine management, electronic stability control, and window operation.

As electronic/electrical architectures evolve from distributed to centralized systems, the demand for high-performance computing chips in vehicles is increasing dramatically.

System-on-Chips (SoCs), with their powerful heterogeneous computing capabilities, have become the core of intelligent cockpit and autonomous driving systems. SoCs highly integrate multiple processing units such as CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs, enabling them to handle complex tasks simultaneously, including environmental perception, path planning, and human-machine interaction.

Different manufacturers have adopted varying technological approaches in the automotive AI chip domain:

• NVIDIA's Orin and Thor chips hold a leading market position due to their powerful computing capabilities (up to 2000 TOPS) and open software ecosystem.
• Tesla uses its self-developed FSD chip, designed based on algorithm requirements, offering higher energy efficiency and iterative efficiency.
• Chinese manufacturers such as Horizon Robotics have achieved mass production and vehicle integration with their "Journey" series. Its Journey 6 chip delivers 560 TOPS, approaching three times the computing power of NVIDIA's Orin.

Traditional distributed ECU architectures are evolving toward domain control architectures, forming several major functional modules such as vehicle control domains, intelligent driving domains, and intelligent cockpit domains. These will further develop into centralized integrated architectures, achieving a higher degree of functional concentration.

Sensing and Driving: The Sensory and Execution Systems of Vehicles

If computing chips are the brain of the vehicle, then sensor chips act as its sensory system, while power and driver chips serve as the muscular system that executes the brain's commands. Together, these components form the foundation of a vehicle's ability to perceive its environment and execute actions.

Sensor chips, as the "data entry point" for intelligent driving, enable vehicles to perceive the surrounding environment and internal status. As the level of autonomous driving increases, the number of sensors required in vehicles rises significantly—from an average of 5 sensors in L2-level vehicles to over 15 sensors in L4-level vehicles.

Different sensor technologies play distinct roles in the automotive sensing system:

• Millimeter-wave radar chips are primarily used for ranging and speed measurement, playing a critical role in systems such as adaptive cruise control. The chips account for approximately 60% of the cost of the entire radar module.
• LiDAR chips include VCSEL laser chips on the transmitting end and SPAD detectors on the receiving end, providing high-precision sensing capabilities for L4 autonomous driving.
• Image sensors identify road signs, pedestrians, and other vehicles through visual systems, providing rich visual information to decision-making systems.

Data collected by these sensors is transmitted to processing units via high-speed interfaces (e.g., TI's FPD-Link™ SerDes technology). High-speed coaxial cables can transmit uncompressed high-resolution video data, ensuring real-time performance and data integrity.

Power semiconductors act as the vehicle's "energy manager," playing a core role in the electrical energy conversion and management of electric vehicles. IGBTs and MOSFETs have been traditional mainstay devices, while silicon carbide (SiC), with its high-voltage and high-temperature resistance, is transforming the design of electric vehicle powertrains.

For example, Tesla's Model 3 was the first to adopt 24 SiC MOSFET modules (650V, 100A) in its main inverter. The improved energy conversion efficiency increased the driving range by 5%–10% while reducing the vehicle's weight by 20%.

The advantages of SiC power devices are even more pronounced in high-voltage platforms. As electric vehicle battery voltages upgrade from 400V to 800V, the DC-Link voltage in traction converters can reach 950V, placing higher demands on the voltage resistance and reliability of power devices.

Connectivity and Assurance: The Data and Security Network of Vehicles

Modern vehicles have evolved into mobile data centers and network nodes, where their connectivity capabilities and security assurance levels directly determine the upper limits of intelligence.

Communication chips act as the vehicle's "nervous system," while security and power management chips serve as the "life support system" that ensures stable system operation.

In-vehicle communication technologies are undergoing a revolutionary shift from traditional buses to high-speed networks. Traditional buses used in vehicles, such as CAN, LIN, and FlexRay, struggle to meet the data transmission demands of intelligent vehicles due to bandwidth limitations. Automotive Ethernet, with its high bandwidth and lightweight advantages, is becoming the mainstream choice.

According to forecasts by the Ethernet Alliance, future intelligent vehicles will feature over 100 Ethernet ports, with each sensor and switching node requiring a PHY chip for high-speed connectivity.

Power management chips are responsible for providing stable and efficient power supply to onboard electronic devices. They account for approximately 29% of automotive chips, with 53% being signal chain chips and 47% power management chips. As automotive electronic systems become increasingly complex, the challenges of power management are also growing.

The adoption of electric vehicles has driven changes in voltage systems. The introduction of 42V power systems provides more expansion space for automotive electronics. High-precision power management is particularly important for driving power devices like SiC MOSFETs—minor changes in driving voltage can significantly affect conduction losses.

For example, when the driving voltage drops from 15V to 13.9V (a change of about 7%), the conduction resistance of a SiC MOSFET increases from 5.8mΩ to 6.5mΩ, leading to an approximate 9.4% increase in conduction losses.

Security chips play an increasingly vital role in safeguarding vehicle network security. As vehicle connectivity increases, so do network security threats, particularly in scenarios such as OTA updates and remote control.

Security chips provide critical functions such as encrypted communication, identity authentication, and data protection, ensuring vehicle systems are safeguarded against unauthorized access and attacks.

Automotive-grade certification serves as the "passport" for automotive chips to enter the vehicle supply chain. The AEC-Q100 standard defines temperature grades and testing requirements for automotive integrated circuits, ensuring chip reliability under extreme conditions with operating temperature ranges from -40°C to 150°C.

The ISO 26262 functional safety standard classifies systems into four levels based on potential risks: QM, ASIL-A to ASIL-D. Chips used in safety-critical systems such as braking and steering typically require the highest level of ASIL-D certification, with certification costs approximately five times higher than for ASIL-B.

Technological innovation in automotive chips continues to accelerate. Traditional distributed MCU architectures are gradually giving way to centralized domain control architectures. The combination of high-voltage platforms and silicon carbide technology will further enhance the energy efficiency of electric vehicles, while high-speed communication networks inside and outside the vehicle will transform cars into active nodes within intelligent transportation systems.

Ultimately, these seemingly tiny semiconductor chips are collaboratively building the solid foundation of automotive intelligence and will define the competitive landscape of the automotive industry over the next decade.

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