Silicon Technology Enables the Modern Vehicle Systems

Embedded processors are incorporated into almost every type of electronic device. The automobile is no exception where the expectations for new features; system performance and increased reliability are increasing rapidly. Advances in engine technology and the eventual “Green Machines” will require new approaches to solving many of the current technology barriers of today. Semiconductors will play an increasing role in breaking through many of the electrical challenges with higher voltage power semiconductors, new memory technologies, increased performance of the embedded processor and improvements in timing control functions.

New semiconductor technologies will enable exciting opportunities toward solving existing technical barriers within the automotive electronics industry. Microcontroller's now contain over 30 million transistors and will push beyond 60 million transistors in 2008. As the system integration increases in the next few years, new techniques will be required to bring the semiconductor's full capabilities to increasingly complex systems.

The roadmap for the silicon industry will have an ever increasing impact on the automotive industry's ability to respond to current safety, technology and environmental challenges. The silicon industry is responding with new embedded processor architectures as a result of deep sub-micron system-on-a-chip products.