In a sweeping collaboration for electric vehicles (EVs), European carmaker Stellantis N.V. and German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG will jointly develop power architecture for future Stellantis EVs.
Under the deal, both companies signed major supply and capacity agreements that will serve as the grounds for the next generation power architecture.
This includes:
- Using Infineon’s Profet smart power switches. These devices will replace traditional fuses, reduce wiring and enable the implementation of intelligent power network management.
- The development of silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors that will be used to improve efficiency and performance of EVs.
- The development of Aurix microcontrollers, which target the first generation of the STLA Brain zonal architecture.
Additionally, both companies will expand cooperation into a joint power lab that will define scalable and intelligent power architecture for Stellantis’ software-defined vehicle.
Why it matters
Infineon has been upping its portfolio of SiC semiconductors with the development of what it calls the first 300 mm SiC wafer. This comes after Infineon expanded its SiC wafer deal with Wolfspeed in a multi-year capacity reservation agreement giving Infineon a secured supply of SiC power wafers.
Infineon also struck a deal with Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corp. last year to build and reserve manufacturing capacity to supply SiC and silicon power modules to the automakers until 2030. The company also is expanding into Kulim, Malaysia, with another SiC fab.
Companies are quickly looking to secure supplies of SiC semiconductors as they are being used as the main power for chips for emerging markets like EVs and renewable energy systems because they offer more efficiency and overall performance of end applications.
Infineon is just one of numerous companies expanding their portfolio of wide bandgap power semiconductors. Texas Instruments, Onsemi, ST Microelectronics, Skyworks, GlobalFoundries, Wolfspeed, Renesas and many others are making deals to take advantage of the sectors that will likely ramp up in coming years as government mandates and concerns over climate change continue to impact car and energy developments.
With the world’s most cost-competitive SiC fab in Kulim, Malaysia, the upcoming 300 millimeter “Smart Power Fab” in Dresden, Germany, and the joint venture with TSMC and partners (ESMC) as well as accompanying supply agreements with foundry partners, Infineon is ready to fully meet market demand for automotive semiconductor solutions.
