South Korean electronics major Samsung, which is eyeing the automotive sector with keen interest, has unveiled three semiconductor chips for in-vehicle use. These will help operate 5G connectivity, infotainment services and power management in cars.
Samsung has already started supplying its infotainment chip to Volkswagen, and is taking on the likes of Qualcomm that is servicing auto majors like BMW and Renault, among others.
The three automotive chips unveiled by Samsung are: the Exynos Auto T5123 for 5G connectivity, the Exynos Auto V7 for in-vehicle infotainment systems and S2VPS01 power management IC (PMIC) for the Auto V series. The company noted that there was rising demand for "high-tech" automotive chips handling more entertainment consumption and increased electrical components in cars.
“Smarter and more connected automotive technologies for enriched in-vehicle experiences including entertainment, safety and comfort are becoming critical features on the road,” Jaehong Park, Executive Vice President of System LSI Custom SOC Business at Samsung Electronics says in a statement.
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The chips are for more safety and fun in cars
Sasmung said the Exynos Auto T5123 will help provide essential information to a vehicle in real-time via high-speed download speeds of up to 5.1 gigabits per second. The new auto chip will also allow passengers to enjoy high-definition content streaming services and video calls through the 5G-based vehicle communication.
The new chip comes with two Cortex-A55 central processing unit cores from semiconductor design firm Arm and a built-in global navigation satellite system, enabling an enhanced telematics applications to track and monitor cars remotely.
The Exynos Auto V7, the new processor for in-vehicle infotainment systems, is said to be mounted on mid and high-end vehicles.
It supports up to four displays and 12 camera inputs that provide information to assist drivers and passengers. The V7’s imaging system provides bad pixel correction, dynamic range compression and geometric distortion correction to provide noiseless and distortion-free images for features like surround view and parking assistance.
For immersive in-car entertainment, the chip comes with three HiFi 4 audio processors that deliver excellent audio quality for songs, movies and even games on the go.
Automotive chips market to be worth $67.6 billion soon
Samsung said the Exynos Auto V7 is being used in Volkswagen’s latest in-car application-server 3.1 that was developed by LG Electronics’ vehicle component solutions division.
The S2VPS01, Samsung‘s new power management integrated circuit, will regulate and rectify the flow of electrical power for more reliable performance of in-vehicle infotainment system
The global market for automotive semiconductors is expected to reach $67.6 billion by 2026.
New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) and High Performance Computing (HPC) are enabling new automotive applications and services – such as simple use cases to communicate road conditions, to more complex edge-enabled uses cases for Autonomous Driving (ADAS).
It is said that modern-day self-driving cars would need about 2,000 semiconductor chips on an average by next year.
