Growing IC Content in the Automotive Market - Cost, Time-to-Market (TTM) and Operational Challenges

Consumer demand has driven the automotive industry and as a result, automotive ICs have evolved in the last decade to include entertainment, Internet connectivity, navigation, safety and eco-friendly applications. At the center of this movement, are semiconductor companies striving to design, develop and manufacture chips to meet the changing demands of an Internet and entertainment-focused society desiring interactivity and connectivity in their vehicles. With the amount of silicon content in vehicles continuing to grow at a steady rate, there are countless opportunities for increased revenue and profitability for the semiconductor industry. Additionally, semiconductor companies must now contend with the transition to electric cars. This will increase the electric and electronic components' share of a vehicle, which will rise from 40% in a conventional gas burner to 75% in an e-car. This panel focuses on various factors that must be considered as we move forward in automotive IC technology and to meet consumer demand, including: the cost and operational issues associated with developing the new in-car electronics architecture; energy efficiency and power management challenges; and IC design challenges and TTM concerns.