Editorial: New issues in automotive electronics

Semiconductor revenue generated by automotive applications is projected to grow at a CAGR of nine percent over the next five years, according to both Databeans and Strategy Analytics. With the continuous replacement of mechanical and electrical systems by electronic ones, automotive electronics will always be looking up in the foreseeable future, irrespective of whether the semiconductor industry or automobile industry is on the crest or trough of the growth cycle.

The advent of electronics into automobiles was primarily meant to make travel safer and more comfortable. A large number of gimmicky features are available in the vehicle today, which may or may not be needed. New issues are cropping up that need to be addressed so that the road ahead is not difficult to negotiate. The most sophisticated cars on the road today have electronic systems that cannot be fully understood by one person. The over-complexity issues continue to increase, with the number of chips poised to grow. The days when a roadside mechanic could safely repair a car are on the way out. For repairs the cars will have to be hauled up at sophisticated repair centers with testing as well as process technology facilities. The car’s downtime might also be longer. Is there a sweet spot where the consumer reaps the advantages of electronics in his car without the disadvantages that have just started emerging? I think the issue of over-complexity must be addressed simultaneously with sophistication.

Take yet another issue. Safety is the fastest growing segment in the automotive electronics industry. A large number of electronic methods are evolving to make the driver safer both while driving and during an accident. At the same time designers are debating on, for instance, which memory technology should be used for the increasing levels of data passing through each car— FRAM, MRAM, or Flash? After all the infotainment and telematics data in a car are poised to grow enormously! I think there is a need for reviewing the safety issue in the context of how much data should really be permitted to flow through a car. This decision should rest not only with technologists but also with governments.