Новини світу мікро- та наноелектроніки

Renesas Electronics Corporation is expanding its software-defined vehicle (SDV) solution offerings centered around the fifth-generation (Gen 5) R-Car family. The latest device in the Gen 5 family, the R-Car X5H is the industry’s first multi-domain automotive system-on-chip (SoC) manufactured with advanced 3nm process technology. It is capable of simultaneously running vehicle functions across advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), and gateway systems.

Renesas has begun sampling Gen 5 silicon and now offers full evaluation boards and the R-Car Open Access (RoX) Whitebox Software Development Kit (SDK) as part of the next phase of development. Renesas is also driving deeper collaboration with customers and partners to accelerate adoption. At CES 2026, Renesas will showcase AI-powered multi-domain demonstrations of the R-Car X5H in action.

The R-Car X5H leverages one of the most advanced process nodes in the industry to offer the highest level of integration, performance and power efficiency, with up to 35 percent lower power consumption than previous 5nm solutions. As AI becomes integral to next-generation SDVs, the SoC delivers powerful central compute targeting multiple automotive domains, with the flexibility to scale AI performance using chiplet extensions. It delivers up to 400 TOPS of AI performance, with chiplets boosting acceleration by four times or more. It also features 4 TFLOPS equivalent of GPU power for high-end graphics and over 1,000k DMIPS powered by 32 Arm Cortex-A720AE CPU cores and six Cortex-R52 lockstep cores with ASIL D support. Leveraging mixed criticality technology, the SoC executes advanced features in multiple domains without compromising safety.

Accelerating Automotive Innovation with an Open, Scalable RoX Whitebox SDK

To accelerate time-to-market, Renesas now offers the RoX Whitebox Software Development Kit (SDK) for the R-Car X5H, an open platform built on Linux, Android, and XEN hypervisor. Additional support for partner OS and solutions is available, including AUTOSAR, EB corbos Linux, QNX, Red Hat and SafeRTOS. Developers can jumpstart development out of the box using the SDK to build ADAS, L3/L4 autonomy, intelligent cockpit, and gateway systems. An integrated stack of AI and ADAS software enables real-time perception and sensor fusion while generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) enable intelligent human-machine interaction for next-generation AI cockpits. The SDK integrates production-grade application software stacks from leading partners such as Candera, DSPConcepts, Nullmax, SmartEye, STRADVISION and ThunderSoft, supporting end-to-end development of modern automotive software architectures and faster time to market.

“Since introducing our most advanced R-Car device last year, we have been steadfast in developing market-ready solutions, including delivering silicon samples to customers earlier this year,” Vivek Bhan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of High-Performance Computing at Renesas. “In collaboration with OEMs, Tier-1s and partners, we are rapidly rolling out a complete development system that powers the next generation of software-defined vehicles. These intelligent compute platforms deliver a smarter, safer and more connected driving experience and are built to scale with future AI mobility demands.”

“Integrating Renesas’ R-Car X5 generation series into our high-performance compute portfolio is a natural next step that builds on our existing collaboration,” said Christian Koepp, Senior Vice President Compute Performance at Bosch’s Cross-Domain Computing Solutions Division. “At CES 2026, we look forward to showcasing this powerful solution with Renesas X5H SoC, demonstrating its fusion capabilities across multiple vehicle domains, including video perception for advanced driver assistance systems.”

“Innovative system-on-chip technology, such as Renesas’ R-Car X5H, is paving the way for ZF’s software-defined vehicle strategy,” said Dr. Christian Brenneke, Head of ZF’s Electronics & ADAS division. “Combining Renesas’ R-Car X5H with our ADAS software solutions enables us to offer full-stack ADAS capabilities with high computing power and scalability. The joint platform combines radar localization and HD mapping to provide accurate perception and positioning for reliable ADAS performance. At CES 2026, we’ll showcase our joint ADAS solution.”

First Fusion Demo on R-Car X5H with Partner Solutions at CES 2026

The new multi-domain demo upscales from R-Car Gen 4 to the next-generation R-Car X5H on the RoX platform, integrating ADAS and IVI stacks, RTOS, and edge AI functionality on Linux and Android with XEN hypervisor virtualization. Supporting input from eight high-resolution cameras and up to eight displays with resolutions reaching 8K2K, the platform delivers immersive visualization and robust sensor integration for next-generation SDVs. Combined with the RoX Whitebox SDK and production-grade partner software stacks, the platform is engineered for real-world deployment covering multiple automotive domains.

Availability

Renesas is shipping R-Car X5H silicon samples and evaluation boards, along with the RoX Whitebox SDK, to select customers and partners.

The post Renesas Launches R-Car Gen 5 Platform for Multi-Domain SDVs appeared first on ELE Times.

by Vijay Bolloju, Director R&D, iVP Semiconductor

Widespread electrification of everything is pushing the boundaries of Power Electronics systems. The demand for high power densities and lower weight in systems necessitates the use of novel materials.

The newer generation power semiconductor devices can operate at higher temperatures. Operating at higher temperatures can increase the power densities and reduce the Power device costs of the system. At the same time, it poses reliability concerns due to dielectric breakdown, deformation, and increased leakage currents due to ionic contamination of the moulding compounds. Packaging materials capable of reliably operating at higher temperatures are needed to exploit their capabilities to the fullest.

It is also evident from the recent trends that the operating voltages of systems like EVs, Data Centres, telecom, etc, are on the rise. Higher operating voltages warrant a higher degree of compliance for the safety of the users.

The cost breakdown of the high-power electronic systems shows that more than half of the cost comes from non-semiconductor materials. Materials such as plastics used for packaging, thermal interface materials (TIM), sealing compounds, heat dissipaters such as heat sinks, cooling liquids, substrates, connectors, etc.

Substrates play a major role in the thermal performance, structural stability, and reliability of the systems. FR4 PCBs have very poor thermal conductivity (0.24 W/m-K) and are commonly used for low-power systems. FR4 also has low Tg (~ 130 °C) and limits the operating range for the power semiconductors. These substrates are not recommended for high-power applications.

Aluminium Metal core PCBs (MCPCBs)are also widely used for building electronic circuits. These substrates have relatively higher thermal conductivity (2 W/m-K) and higher Tg. MCPCBs offer better mechanical stability and thermal performance. Though multi-layer MCPCBs are available, the most common MCPCBs are single-layer due to cost considerations. This will limit the ability to make the systems compact.

Ceramic substrates such as alumina (Al2O3), aluminium nitride (AlN) have excellent thermal conductivity and mechanical stability. Alumina has 100X higher thermal conductivity (24 W/m-K) and aluminium nitride has 1000X higher thermal conductivity (240 W/m-K) than FR4 material. They also render superior reliability and high-temperature operation capability. They are perfectly suited for high-power systems. They are also single-layer due to cost considerations.

The selection of the substrate materials should be based on the cost-performance criteria. Cost of the substrates increases in this order: FR4 PCBs, MCPCBs, and ceramic substrates. But the power semiconductor costs will reduce in the reverse order due to the improvement in the thermal conductivity. The reliability of the system also depends on the substrate choice – Ceramics offering the best, and FR4 the least. So, a sensible trade-off should be considered to make a suitable choice.

Thermal interface materials (TIM) also have a profound effect on the system performance, reliability, and cost. They are often neglected and not paid due attention. But they can really help in enhancing the thermal performance of the system and even reducing the number of power devices needed to implement the designs. TIMs also help in providing dielectric insulation to the system. So, an ideal TIM has high thermal conductivity and high dielectric strength. Choosing a proper TIM that meets the system requirements can help in reducing overall system cost and size.

Choosing proper substrate materials, TIM, and heat dissipator can reduce the system cost and size considerably and lead to frugal designs.

A holistic approach to design from the selection of power device technologies, substrates, TIM, and power dissipators may result in high-performance, reliable, and lower-cost systems.

Currently, the Indian materials ecosystem is poor and needs to be revamped to serve the power electronics industry to achieve higher performance metrics. The plastics, substrates, TIM, and other materials can be locally developed using advances in materials such as nano-materials, carbon compounds, engineering plastics, composite materials, etc. India has a mature ceramics industry serving the energy sector, the medical industry, etc. The technologies can be used to make substrate materials for power electronics applications. Metallization of the ceramic substrates to print the circuits is also an essential skill set to be developed.

High thermal conductivity composite materials, metal foam forming, and phase change materials can elevate the thermal performance of the systems. If the system can be cooled using advanced materials without the need for a liquid cooling system, it can considerably reduce the system cost and improve the reliability of the system.

All the materials described above that can improve system performance and reliability while reducing cost (Frugal innovations) can be developed and manufactured locally. A concerted and collaborative effort is all it needs.

The post Why Frugal engineering is a critical aspect for advanced materials in 2026 appeared first on ELE Times.