Semiconductors flex their muscles

Makers of semiconductors see the automotive market as a prime opportunity for growth. The first part of this article looks at this growth from the perspective of semiconductor industry leader Motorola. The second part highlights some recent semiconductor product introductions.

Formerly known as the driver of an automobile, the person behind the wheel is becoming an “operator of a moving electronics system” as new families of more powerful semiconductors exert greater control over vehicle systems.

Those developments are shaping a new future for automotive semiconductors. Motorola calls it the Fifth Wave of semiconductor penetration into the vehicle: electronics replacing mechanical and hydraulic components for improvements in safety, fuel economy, and environmental impact. There's little room in this future for 8-bit and even 16-bit semiconductors, which are being pushed aside by those with 32-bit and DSP (digital signal processing) muscle.