Chip type (what is an automotive chip?)
With the recent US sanctions on Chinese semiconductors, I believe everyone is aware of the shortage of automotive chips, which has become the current hot news, and One of the reactions of many people upon hearing the news was: What? Is there a chip in the car?
In fact, modern cars have long been different from the “iron bumps” many years ago. Contains a large number of electronic chips, such as electronic power steering, anti-lock braking system and so on. The successful realization of these functions relies on automotive chips of different sizes and functions.
So what are the classifications of automotive chips? Strictly speaking, a chip is the general term for semiconductor components, and the official name is an integrated circuit. According to national statistics, automotive chips are mainly divided into three categories, namely functional chips, power semiconductors and sensors.
First of all, the most common are functional chips, including processor chips and controller chips. Its functions include: infotainment system, ESP, ABS and other systems. Anyway, we just need to remember that a car can run on the road, and there must be at least 10 functional chips in his car for information transmission.
The second type of power semiconductor has no functionality and is mainly responsible for power conversion, generally used for power supply and various interfaces.
The third is the sensor. I am sure you are familiar with sensors. Like the current car radar, airbags, tire pressure monitoring and other functions rely on sensors. For example, the autopilot that sells well in the market is actually a master of automotive chips. Including lidar, ultrasonic radar, millimeter wave radar, etc. In terms of sensors, and its self-driving chip is actually a friend source of electronic function chips with powerful computing power *** .
Considering cost control, most car companies will use relatively entry-level functional chips. So we can actually draw a conclusion that the real shortage of automotive chips is not high-end chips with higher technology in the industry, but low-end and high-end functional chips for sustainable development.
In its realization stage, there are very complicated reasons for the shortage of chips. First of all, one of the reasons is the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic. Many overseas factories have reduced production capacity, leading to chip shortages, which is an inevitable result.
The second reason is the rapid recovery of the auto industry, which makes suppliers seriously underestimate it. According to many suppliers, the number of automotive function chips is increasing year by year. However, in the second half of 2020, the auto market represented by China recovered rapidly, seriously exceeding the forecast of chip suppliers.
But with the development of the market, China’s self-developed chips must be put on the agenda. Although there will be many difficulties, they will eventually explode.