Automotive : ASIC Design and Supply

EnSilica is your trusted partner focused on delivering high-quality automotive ASIC design and supply services that enable our OEM customers to deliver reliable, leading-edge ASIC solutions across a wide range of automotive applications.

Our world-class design capabilities including experience in low-power design, sensing and control systems, RF/Radio design and digital security all help to ensure that your next automotive ASIC project will deliver the competitive advantage you are looking for while reducing product development costs, timescales and risk.

Automotive ASICs – Driving the Automotive Experience

The automotive electronics industry is constantly striving to deliver differentiated products that address the consumer demand for an enhanced driving experience – all while meeting aggressive cost targets and tougher safety and security requirements.

To meet the demand for enhanced product capabilities while also maximising cost-efficiencies and reducing complexity is driving many in the automotive industry to explore the option to develop custom ASIC solutions.

Next Generation Features

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
Electrification
Infotainment
Digital instrumentation
Driver awareness

EnSilica selected for automotive Chassis ASIC socket

“EnSilica is one of Europe’s leading companies in the field of custom mixed signal and digital ASIC design and this design win to develop a complex ASIC for a Tier‐1 automotive supplier and our partnership with RoodMicrotec recognises our unique capabilities.” Ian Lankshear, CEO of EnSilica. Read more

The Benefits of ASIC Solutions

Electronics manufacturers are integrating a range of discrete components along, including a CPU, into a chip, to create smaller, more reliable, lower-cost products. Using EnSilica’s end-to-end design and supply service means that the benefits of custom chips are now within easy reach of most companies.

Reduced BOM
Lower power consumption
Smaller size
Greater functionality
Supply chain protection and simplification
IP security
Increased reliability

Advanced Radar Systems

EnSilica has been deeply involved in radar design for over 10 years with a wide range of engagements in defence, commercial roadside and on-board automotive systems. Our knowledge and experience working on external radar projects, together with our own internal IP developments has enabled us to build up a formidable radar signal processing chain. Allowing us to address the challenges of deploying high resolution radar solutions across a broad range of markets and technologies. In addition, our eSi-ADAS IP, now in its 3rd generation, is a library of configurable hardware accelerator IP for MIMO virtual array imaging radar processing.

Simplifying the ASIC Development Process

EnSilica’s engineers live and breathe ASIC development every day and apply their in-depth knowledge to ensure that every project meets its requirements and is delivered on-time, on budget and right first-time. Our wealth of experience, core skills and IP knowledge allow us to recommend the most cost-effective methods to overcome the challenges in Custom ASIC Design, including;

Increasing design complexity and timescale pressure
Advances in silicon process capability
Performance, cost, and power optimisation
Verification complexity and coverage
IP selection and integration
New EDA tools and methodologies

Article: The Economics of ASICs: At What Point Does a Custom SoC Become Viable?

Automotive ASIC Applications and Examples

Phase array antenna for satellite communication
High accuracy and fast locking multi-standard GNSS
Wireless charging and docking
USB hub and charging control
Cluster controllers and head-up display
eMirrors
LED driver
Car alarm / security system
Ethernet bridges and switches
Edge processing of sensor data
CAN and Lin physical layers and controller/MCUs

Battery monitoring/management
Custom Image signal processor (ISP)
Edge AI processing
Wireless tyre pressure sensor
Gas, gyro, position, force sensor interfacing
Driver occupancy. wellbeing and behaviour monitoring
Bridge sensor and drivers
Stepper motor controllers
Long and short range and imaging Radar
Parking sensors
V2X communications and security

Example

Medium complexity mixed signal controller ASIC

TSMC 180nm, 24 pin QFN
AEC Q100 Grade 2, QM rated
Specification to PPAP in less than 16 months
High volumes unit price < $1.50

Functional Safety (FuSa) – Designed in at the Start

We understand that automotive products need to meet the specific and rigorous requirements of the automotive market. Our in-house experience includes:

In-house Function Safety Manager
Experience designing systems to ISO26262
Internal FuSa culture: periodic staff training, etc
Collaboration with independent partners for maximum level confirmation reviews (I3)
Qualified EDA tools (TCL Compliance)
Compliant project management, storage and documentation systems
Experience in safety analysis, FMEDA, FTA, and on-chip safety mechanisms
Traceability through the full product life cycle

Technical Article:

Developing Safety Critical SoCs

In this article we outline an approach to functional safety that addresses the twin challenges of safety and growing SoC complexity, and which ensures SoCs comply with a wide variety of safety standards such as IEC 61508, ISO 26262, DO-178, DO-254 and ISO 62304 by having safety designed in from the start.

Read Article

Taking Care of the ASIC Supply Chain

EnSilica provides a complete ASIC production and supply chain management service from design specification through to volume production, using fully automotive qualified partners:

Process and vendor selection
Packaging
Test and qualification
Volume production and supply

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There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to supply chain management. Our independence, years of experience and strategic relationships with the leading silicon foundries, packaging and test and qualification vendors enables us to configure the right partners to deliver against the individual requirements of each project.

Selecting the Right Silicon IP

Selecting the right silicon IP is critical to the success of any ASIC project and EnSilica has well established relationships with the industries key IP providers, as well as a portfolio of in-house IP to ensure each ASIC meets its design requirements.

Processor and DSPs including Arm, RISC-V, Tensilica, and CEVA
Cryptography and security including AES, ECDSA, SHA with and without DPA protection
Connectivity including PHY and controllers for Ethernet, PCIe, USB , MIPI
RF / Radio – BLE, Bluetooth Classic, Wi-Fi, GNSS

Find Out More

If you are looking for an automotive ASIC development and supply partner with the right expertise and experience to bring your next product to market quickly and efficiently then please get in touch for an initial discussion or to request an ASIC Design Consultation.