Samsung Partners with Infineon, NXP to Develop Next-Gen Automotive Chips

Samsung has a strong presence in the automotive industry, offering cutting-edge technologies to modern vehicles. To further strengthen its business, the company is reportedly partnering with industry leaders Infineon and NXP. It aims to co-develop the next-gen automotive chips.

Samsung aims to offer advanced automotive chips to vehicle manufacturers

As the autonomous vehicles market grows, Samsung sees a great opportunity to cater to the automotive semiconductor space. Autonomous driving technology requires high-performance computing chips, and Samsung strives to meet this demand. The Korean firm is gradually introducing its advanced semiconductor nodes into the automotive manufacturing sector.

In collaboration with Infineon and NXP, Samsung plans to develop automotive-grade processors based on its 5nm process technology. The partnership also focuses on designing memory and processors to perform well together, as well as enhancing chip stability under extreme temperature conditions. On top of that, it aims to improve real-time processing capabilities and security features.

These new cutting-edge chips will feature neural processing units (NPUs), which help run self-driving features more efficiently. Samsung is also working on system-on-chip (SoC) solutions that combine several functions into a single chip to save space and lower power consumption.

Industry watchers expect Samsung to effortlessly gain a foothold in the automotive electronics space through close cooperation with its partners. Research firms projected that the in-vehicle chip market could see growth at an annual rate of over 15% in the next five years. The reason is that more electric vehicles and smart connected cars have been hitting the road in recent years.

This is a great opportunity for Samsung’s foundry division as well, which has been struggling lately. Since Samsung’s automotive chips will be built using its in-house mature processes, it could help boost the company’s revenue. The firm is also planning to make 5nm chips for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in Hyundai Motor Company’s luxury vehicle sub-brand, Genesis.