Automotive Chiplet Alliance
Members from all corners of the automotive industry join to enable an open chiplet ecosystem, essential for fueling innovation, reducing costs, and reinforcing the supply chain.
We’re heading for a future where software-defined vehicles play a crucial role in our mobility. These high-performance computers on wheels will unburden drivers while increasing traffic safety. Besides more autonomy and safety, they will also offer an immersive in-cabin digital experience.
The realization of that future hinges on silicon performance, which is destined to become the new horsepower. What’s needed to unleash those extraordinary processing capabilities? If we take our cue from other high-performance markets, such as servers and some high-end consumer devices, it’s time to say goodbye to the system-on-chip paradigm and move to chiplet architectures.
Blog: why the automotive industry is looking towards chiplets
Open chiplet ecosystem requires standardization
Chiplet architectures can break through the barriers that monolithic chips run into. Their modular approach allows for further performance scaling and cost savings.
On top of that, chiplets would enable the industry to make rapid hardware updates and diversify its digital offering – by mixing and matching chiplets from niche semiconductor players. This would also help to make the supply chain for automotive ICs more robust.
How can this exciting prospect become a reality? One important hurdle needs to be overcome: the standardization of automotive chiplets. As this requires agreement across the ecosystem, it’s an inherently slow process. Therefore, the time to act is now.
By initiating the Automotive Chiplet Alliance, imec aims to make sure the industry comes together before the window of opportunity closes.
Jointly addressing the chiplet challenge
The goal of the Automotive Chiplet Alliance is to rally the automotive industry to build an open chiplet ecosystem. The wide range of participants reflects the complexity of the challenge: from OEMs, Tier-1s, Tier-2s, IDMs, foundries, IP & tool vendors and software companies, to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) suppliers and design houses.
The Automotive Chiplet Alliance, endorsed by STAR, regularly meets during the automotive chiplet conferences. Its immediate points of action are to identify gaps in the current standards. In addition, this alliance and conference aims to define the standard most suited to address these gaps. There’s more benefit in collaborating and improving existing standards than in creating new ones.
Read the blog: 4 takeaways from the second automotive chiplet conference
Want to join the Automotive Chiplet Alliance?
Since the start of imec’s automotive chiplet initiative, the number of participants has been growing rapidly. At the latest automotive chiplet conference, in October 2023, representatives from more than 50 companies were present.
Is your company part of the automotive value chain? Then make sure to contribute to one of the crucial discussions on the future of the industry. Click the button below to get in touch.