AUTOMOTIVE
The future of electric vehicles starts with silicon
Bryce Johnstone, director of automotive segment marketing at Imagination Technologies explores how silicon is offering considerable benefits to the future of automotive developments
T
he electric vehicle (EV) market is growing at a steady rate, with experts forecasting an increase from its current value of $246 billion to a total of $1.3 trillion by 2028 (Fortune Business Insights, 2021). As both manufacturers and consumers embrace this new powertrain, the focus of value add to the consumer is on the in-car experience as well as autonomy and smart features.
Automotive electronics, an industry worth over $500 billion, is spearheading the digital transformation of analogue car elements such as dashboards, parking sensors and more. Human-machine interface (HMI), artificial intelligence (AI) and connectivity are a key trend shaping the future across the automotive landscape. With the shift to electric, manufacturers and Tier 1s (companies that supply direct to those manufacturers) are viewing the car more as a mobile data centre that is software-defined and delivers unique service, ADAS and autonomy. Going beyond the HMI, the push for autonomous driving (AD) and advanced driver
8 MARCH 2022 | ELECTRONICS TODAY
assistance systems (ADAS) means that cars will become increasingly reliant on AI and data management to process the massive informational loads captured by a range of car sensors.
As a result, semiconductors, software and technology will become the basis for competitive brand differentiation, with GPUs, neural network accelerators (NNA) and data management silicon being instrumental in driving design innovation and ultimately customer value
Beyond the basic car interface With embedded, low power GPUs being able to deliver high-performance 3D graphics and smooth interfaces even in entry-level smartphones, consumers’ expectations for in-car digital experiences are at an all-time high. Moreover, HMI is becoming a key point of differentiation for OEMs and Tier 1s, adding competitive advantage, and driving further development for the technology. The increased innovation in this space will
bring crisper imagery on larger, high-resolution screens. (4K/8K/dashboard wide) Multiple screens are slowly becoming the norm for EVs – including main driver displays, centre consoles, backseat entertainment and more. 3D graphics are already being used in dashboards and displays, but the technology is on its way to becoming more sophisticated. Ray tracing, a processing technique that renders realistic reflections and shadows, has been previously associated with games and movies but also presents a compelling application for HMI visualisation – especially when it comes to creating truly realistic surround views of the car and the environment to aid parking. Solutions such as Imagination’s IMG BXS GPU family are now able to power multiple 2-8K displays providing up to 6TFLOPS of performance – a premium experience, on par with console-quality gaming – all while delivering functionally safety via its ISO 26262-capable design. Taking advantage of the inherent parallelism of GPUs, OEMs can leverage technologies, such as HyperLane to
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46
