Automotive chipmaker NXP Semiconductors is partnering with pure-play foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to deliver what it claims is the first automotive embedded magnetic random access memory (MRAM) on 16 nm FinFET process technology.
The deal will see NXP’s S32 automotive processors embedded with fast next generation MRAM manufactured on TSMC’s 16 nm FinFET technology. The goal is to provide automotive OEMs with a single hardware platform for the transition to software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the companies said.
MRAM updates 20 MB of code in less than 3 seconds compared to flash memory that takes about one minute, NXP said. This minimizes the downtime with software updates allowing automakers to eliminate long module programming times. Additionally, MRAM offers up to one million update cycles — a level of endurance about 10 times greater than flash or other emerging memory technologies, the companies said.
The reason some automakers are moving to SDVs include:
- Over-the-air updates
- Extends life of vehicles
- Enhances appeal and profitability
- New comfort, safety and convenience features
Also, as software-based features become more commonplace in vehicles, update frequencies will likely increase, meaning MRAM’s speed will be important to maintenance in the future.
