INDUSTRY FOCUS - AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS
Fuelling automotive innovation How ASICs enhance vehicular safety, efficiency and intelligence
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eloitte’s January 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study states that the automotive industry is in a period of transformation, driven by demands for improved connectivity, efficiency and safety. Here, Ross Turnbull, director of business development and product engineering at ASIC design and supply specialist Swindon Silicon Systems, explores how custom integrated circuits are advancing automotive safety, efficiency and intelligence. Sensor-based technologies have enhanced vehicle safety and efficiency since the commercial introduction of airbags in passenger automobiles in the 1970s. Over time, these technologies have grown increasingly sophisticated. Notable advancements include tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), which ensure tyre safety, and battery management systems (BMS), which optimise battery performance in electric vehicles —both of which became mandated standards in the EU and UK in 2014. Technologies such as LiDAR, radar and capacitive sensors are enablers of many smart automotive features, providing the real-time data that’s essential for navigation, obstacle detection and fast decision-making. However, handling such large amounts of data requires high-performance processing, which is where ASICs come in.
Unlike general-purpose processors, ASICs are custom designed to optimise power efficiency, minimise latency and maximise throughput. Their ability to process complex sensor data enables enhanced safety, greater efficiency and intelligent vehicle functionality.
Advancing safety
As of July 2024, technologies such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and collision avoidance have been mandated for new motor vehicles sold in the EU and UK to improve safety for drivers and other road users.
ADAS features such as automatic emergency braking and collision detection depend on precise, low-latency data processing to assess the vehicle’s surroundings and react within milliseconds. ASICs play a critical role in this process, efficiently handling vast amounts of sensor data to ensure split-second responses. Their role is to process radar and camera inputs, detect obstacles or sudden road changes
and relay critical data to the vehicle’s control system, which then determines the necessary braking force to prevent a collision.
Enhancing efficiency
Beyond improving vehicle safety, ASICs play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency, particularly in electric and hybrid vehicles where they support power distribution between the battery, motor and auxiliary systems.
By optimising energy transitions and enhancing regenerative braking, ASICs can improve energy capture and conversion efficiency. This extends battery life and lowers operational costs, making EVs and hybrids more energy efficient and cost effective. In BMS, ASICs can monitor individual battery cells’ state of charge, health and temperature, optimising charging cycles and ensuring safe operation. For TPMS, they process sensor data to maintain accurate tyre pressure readings, which enhances safety and reduces rolling resistance, leading to better fuel efficiency.
If we look at internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, ASICs contribute to engine control units (ECUs) by processing data from exhaust sensors, fuel injectors and combustion systems. They help optimise fuel consumption, reduce emissions and enhance overall engine performance by enabling precise control of fuel injection, ignition timing and exhaust management.
Enabling intelligence The reality of autonomous vehicles depends 30 OCTOBER 2025 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
on sensor fusion — the ability to combine data from a variety of sensors to create real- time environmental maps for navigation and decision-making.
Because ASICs can process vast amounts of sensor data with minimal latency, they efficiently fuse data from radar and LiDAR to generate precise 3D representations. This capability enables autonomous vehicles to accurately detect pedestrians, obstacles and other vehicles, enhancing navigation and safety.
Beyond object detection, ASICs enable real-time path planning, allowing vehicles to predict movement, classify objects and respond instantly to changing road conditions. They also support vehicle-to- everything (V2X) communication, enabling seamless data exchange with other vehicles and infrastructure for improved coordination. Swindon provides a full turnkey service that optimises ASICs for automotive applications, overseeing every step from design to manufacturing and testing. This approach also ensures compliance with stringent industry standards, including ISO 26262 for functional safety and AEC-Q100 for quality. By tailoring ASICs to the specific needs of automotive systems, they enhance safety, efficiency and vehicle intelligence. As the automotive industry continues to evolve, ASICs play a crucial role in driving innovation. By enabling real-time data processing, optimising energy efficiency and enhancing driver assistance systems, these custom chips are helping shape the future of safer, more efficient and connected vehicles.
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