Samsung unveils new auto chips for high-end car systems

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday unveiled three new automotive chips as demand for advanced chips is growing among global carmakers to produce cars with better connectivity and more sophisticated infotainment features.

The South Korean tech giant said its latest chip products are designed to enable faster 5G connectivity needed for downloading high-definition video content, immersive in-car infotainment systems and a stable power supply.

"Smarter and more connected automotive technologies for enriched in-vehicle experiences, including entertainment, safety and comfort, are becoming critical features on the road," Park Jae-hong, executive vice president of the company's System LSI Custom SOC Business, said in a statement.

Among the three, the Exynos Auto V7 in-vehicle infotainment system is installed in Volkswagen's latest In-Car Application-Server (ICAS) 3.1, developed by LG Electronics' vehicle component solutions division, the company said.

The chip comes with a neural processing unit "for convenient services, such as virtual assistance that can process visual and audio data for face, speech and gesture recognition features."

Samsung has ramped up efforts to develop advanced chips for cars, a market that has grown significantly in recent years fueled by higher levels of car electrification and a further uptake in electric vehicles.

More cars are now being equipped with advanced features like artificial intelligence and 5G-based telecommunications.

London-based research firm IHS Markit forecast the global market for automotive semiconductors to grow 7 percent annually to reach US$67.6 billion in 2026.

The Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy predicted an average of 2,000 chips to be mounted in a car in 2022, a sharp increase from around 300 in 2010.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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