As the global automotive industry accelerates its transformation to electrification and intelligence, software-defined vehicles (SDV) have gradually become the core development direction of the industry. This concept not only represents the technological innovation of the automotive industry, but also has a more profound impact on the design and application of automotive chips. The recently announced collaboration between Renesas and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will bring a high-performance SDV SoC (system-on-a-chip) to the market, leveraging TSMC's 3nm process technology and 2000 TOPs of AI computing power, aiming to provide technical support for future autonomous driving and intelligent in-vehicle systems.
This cooperation has undoubtedly injected new vitality into the automotive semiconductor industry. China Exportsemi will delve into the technical details, industry impact, market prospects, and possible challenges of this project.
Anatomy of technical details
1. Process technology and chip architecture
In the design of this SDV SoC, the application of TSMC's 3nm process technology played a crucial role. TSMC's N3A process has higher transistor density and better energy efficiency than 7nm and 5nm processes. According to TSMC's public data, the N3A process can increase transistor density by about 1.7 times and reduce power consumption by about 30% compared with the 5nm process. These advantages provide technical support for the high efficiency and long working time of SoC chips.
In terms of chip architecture, the SDV SoC combines Renesas' fifth-generation R-Car X5 chip with Honda's in-house developed AI accelerator. Renesas' R-Car X5 SoC has been used in in-vehicle infotainment systems and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) applications, and has demonstrated excellent computing power and processing performance. Honda's AI accelerator focuses on tasks such as image processing, path planning, and environmental perception related to autonomous driving. By working together, the SDV SoC delivers both powerful computing power and a high degree of system integration.
Figure: Renesas Electronics & Honda Automotive Collaboration: 3nm SDV SoC Unveiled, 2000 TOPs AI Computing Power Leads the Future of Autonomous Driving
AI computing power and energy efficiency performance
The SoC's AI computing power has reached 2000 TOPs, which is a landmark value in the industry. TOPs (trillion operations per second) are an important metric to measure the performance of AI chips. The 2000 TOPs means that the chip can quickly handle the large number of computational tasks required for autonomous driving, such as real-time video stream processing, object recognition, and path prediction. In addition, the SoC has an efficiency ratio of 20 TOPs/W, which means that it is capable of delivering 20 trillion operations per watt of power consumption. This is important for electric vehicles, as lower power consumption extends battery life and reduces the need for battery charging, resulting in improved overall efficiency.
System integration and innovation
In addition to process technology and AI computing power, Renesas' collaboration with Honda also provides innovations in system integration. With Multi-Chip Package (MCM) technology, the SoC is able to integrate multiple core functional blocks on the same chip. This not only optimizes the overall performance, but also increases the scalability and flexibility of the system. In addition, Renesas has adopted a highly integrated architecture that enables the entire system to efficiently handle the core functions of the vehicle, such as autonomous driving, in-vehicle entertainment, and real-time data transmission, to provide strong support for future intelligent vehicles.
Industry Impact and Competitive Landscape
Promote the development of intelligent vehicles
As autonomous driving technology continues to advance, the car of the future will become even smarter. With this SDV SoC, Honda will further enhance the intelligent driving experience of its electric vehicles. Thanks to its high-performance AI accelerator and powerful computing power, the SoC is able to provide key support for Honda's Level 3 and above autonomous driving systems. This means that the vehicle not only has a more accurate perception of the situation, but also enables efficient decision-making and route planning.
What's more, the SoC can also support the development of intelligent cockpit technology, helping to achieve smoother voice control, touch interaction, and personalized services, thereby improving the consumer experience.
Accelerate the transformation of electrical and electronic architecture (E/E architecture).
Honda plans to build the Honda 0 series of electric vehicles into a more integrated centralized electrical and electronic architecture (E/E architecture) platform. Traditional automotive electronic architectures typically use distributed systems, which result in multiple electronic control units (ECUs) handling different functions, resulting in complex systems and high circuit costs. The centralized architecture, on the other hand, combines multiple functions into a single electronic unit, which not only reduces the length and weight of the wiring harness, but also improves the response speed and data transmission efficiency of the system.
The SDV SoC from Renesas and Honda will be a core component of this architecture, which will be responsible for managing multiple key systems, from autonomous driving to in-vehicle entertainment. With the introduction of centralized architectures, automakers will be able to make system upgrades more flexibly, reduce overall hardware costs, and improve the overall performance of their vehicles.
Leading the way in industry technical standards
This collaboration between Renesas and Honda will undoubtedly have a profound impact on a global scale. First of all, it demonstrates the strong technical strength of Japanese semiconductor companies in the field of high-end automotive electronics, and further sets the technological benchmark for the global automotive semiconductor market. In particular, the application of TSMC's 3nm process has brought new technical challenges to the global automotive industry, and has also promoted other automotive chip manufacturers to accelerate technological innovation.
In addition, this cooperation will also drive collaborative innovation in the automotive industry chain. For example, Renesas' advanced process technology and Honda's in-vehicle system design will have a demonstration effect in many fields, and other automakers and semiconductor companies will have to upgrade their technology to meet the new market competition.
Future Prospects and Challenges
Technology iteration and continuous innovation
With the continuous advancement of intelligence in the automotive industry, the demand for on-board chips will become more and more diversified in the future. In addition to enhancing AI computing power and energy efficiency, future chips also need to have stronger computing power, especially in the field of autonomous driving, where chips need to meet the requirements of real-time performance and high reliability.
In addition, with the gradual maturity of technologies such as 5G and Internet of Vehicles (V2X), in-vehicle SoCs also need to have stronger communication capabilities and be able to interact with the external environment in real time to enhance the vehicle's intelligent response capabilities.
Supply chain and cost control
Although TSMC's 3nm technology provides strong performance guarantees, the high cost of its production process will be a major challenge in the future. Balancing high performance and cost-effectiveness, and ensuring the stability of mass production, will be key to the success of the Renesas-Honda joint project.
Renesas and Honda need to continuously optimize their production processes and maintain close communication with TSMC and other partners to ensure high-quality chip supply. In addition, how to reduce the overall cost in the automobile production process and enhance the market competitiveness of products is still a long-term challenge for the industry.
Industry cooperation and ecosystem construction
The intelligent transformation of the automotive industry does not rely solely on technological breakthroughs from a single manufacturer. The cooperation between Renesas and Honda is a key node in the development of intelligence, and in the future, automotive chip manufacturers will need to work closely with sensor suppliers, software developers, communication companies, and other parties to promote the improvement of the entire intelligent vehicle ecosystem.
For example, the application of 5G technology will further improve the data transmission capacity of autonomous driving systems. The accuracy and intelligence of on-board sensors will also directly affect the safety and driving experience of the car. The cooperation will help form an interconnected automotive intelligent ecosystem, which in turn will accelerate the overall development of the industry.
Conclusion
The cooperation between Renesas and Honda will greatly promote the development of intelligent and autonomous driving technologies in automobiles with the help of TSMC's 3nm process and 2000 TOPs AI computing power. This cooperation not only brings strong technical impetus to the automotive industry, but also sets a new technical benchmark for the entire automotive chip industry. However, in the face of future technological challenges, supply chain challenges, and the construction of an industrial ecosystem, Renesas and Honda still need to continue to innovate and work together to promote the continuous progress of the industry and contribute to the arrival of a new era of smarter, safer, and more environmentally friendly mobility.
