Continental has started using Infineon’s AURIX TC4 microcontroller for its ZCU platform
In a recent update, leading tech company Continental announced that it will be collaborating with Infineon Technologies AG in the development of server-based vehicle architectures. The partners said that the goal is to build an organized and efficient electrics/electronics (E/E) architecture with central high-performance computers (HPC) and a few, powerful Zone Control Units (ZCU). This will be different from the earlier versions, where up to a hundred or even more individual control units used to be present. It is learnt that Continental has started using Infineon’s AURIX TC4 microcontroller for its ZCU platform.
As per the official note, special storage technology in the AURIX TC4 enables the vehicle software to be on standby. It said that functions such as parking assistance, air conditioning, heating and suspension are ready within fractions of a second. Continental claims to support the different requirements of automobile manufacturers with its platform approach. The partners further claimed that RRAM (Resistive Random Access Memory) technology is being applied in the automotive sector for the first time.
Continental Automotive CTO, Gilles Mabire commented: “With our new architecture solution, we are making the vehicle fit for the future. 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.”
The President of the Automotive Division at Infineon, Peter Schiefer said: “The cooperation with Continental makes it possible to bring RRAM technology into automobiles. Together with innovation drivers in the automotive industry like Continental, we are shaping the mobility of tomorrow. The microcontroller family AURIX TC4x is an important building block for the next generation of E/E architectures and can make the crucial difference when it comes to efficiency, safety and comfort in future vehicle generations.”
1871-born Continental claims to develop leading technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. As per its website, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation.
56,200-employees-strong Infineon Technologies AG is a leading semiconductor provider in power systems and IoT globally. Infineon claims to drive decarbonization and digitalization with its products and solutions.
