Infineon’s Aurix TC4 MCU boosts Continental’s innovation in automotive architectures. Infineon and Continental have partnered to produce a modular platform for electrical/electronic (E/E)architecture using the Aurix TC4 microcontroller (MCU) from Infineon.
The high-end MCU is being paired with a modular platform that is aimed at the organized and efficient E/E development of server-based vehicle architecture. The system is designed to run high-performance computers (HPCs), a few powerful Zone Control Units (ZCUs) instead of the hundred or more individual control units that was previously utilized in EV autos.
Continental is now running its systems with the help of the Aurix TC4 microcontroller for its ZCU platform. There is a special storage technology in the TC4, that puts the vehicle software on standby. Functions come online as soon as the vehicle is started. These functions include: parking assistance, air conditioning, heating, and also suspension are already almost instantaneously.
This approach is a platform ecosystem, that can support the different requirements of automotive manufacturers. The number of HPCs and ZCUs can be individually configured, and how they are arranged within the vehicle, can tailor architecture based on a manufacturer’s needs.
“With our new architecture solution, we are making the vehicle fit for the future,” says Gilles Mabire, CTO of Continental Automotive. “The growing variety of vehicle functions requires more and more computing power and increasingly complex software applications. Continental’s new architecture is paving the way for the software-defined vehicle. The cooperation with Infineon is an essential step in realizing this development quickly for our customers. Thanks to our platform strategy, proven application software can be used in new vehicle models, for instance. As a result, the time-consuming validation effort is significantly reduced. New functionalities can be brought into serial production much faster.”
One of the key elements of the new Aurix TC4 MCU is the RRAM or Resistive Random Access Memory. This memory technology is already used in chip cards, for example when utilizing cashless payments and also for secure authentication. In the automotive industry, this technology can be utilized for the safe and fast implementation of essential vehicle system processes.
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The Aurix TC4 allows the essential software systems to be almost constantly on standby, ready in a fraction of a second to come online. This technology also allows for more secure and faster Over-the-air updates to software components.
To find out more about the Aurix TC4 and Continental partnership, or the vehicle architecture platform see the Infineon announcement here.
Infineon Technologies AG | infineon.com
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