标签: semi

文章来源：https://semiengineering.com/how-software-defined-vehicles-change-auto-chip-design/ 软件定义汽车的转型正在改变汽车设计的几乎每个方面，从车辆搭载的硬件配置、功能更新节奏到硬件淘汰机制都面临重构。 将核心功能从硬件迁移到软件，不仅能让车企以更低成本快速推出新功能并实现敏捷迭代，更将推动当前约290亿美元的汽车软件市场以每年15%的速度增长至2030年。但这也显著增加了车辆设计的复杂性：硬件与软件需要多层级集成，且必须持续深入理解单个功能或系统的变更如何影响整车其他部分。更重要的是，设计过程中还需预判未来技术演进对系统架构的潜在影响。 "软件定义汽车将持续成为重要趋势，因为软件方案比硬件更具成本优势，"Ansys汽车业务首席技术官Judy Curran解释道，"以早期特斯拉Model 3为例，其价格下探的关键并非电池成本大幅降低，而是通过取消物理按键、仪表盘和传统钥匙（改用卡片钥匙），依托大屏幕实现功能集成。新型电气架构将减少硬件模块数量，转而采用更集约化的集成模块。" 但这绝不意味着设计会变得更简单。关乎行车使命与安全的关键硬件、软件和固件，必须确保在未来十年甚至更长时间内都能支持持续升级。对于这个以快速迭代为特征的行业，既要预测软件十年后的演进路径，又要保证其与当前硬件架构的兼容性，这带来了巨大的工程挑战——其结果往往是过度设计。 既有软硬件体系仅是问题的一部分。这些系统需要的仿真精度在某些维度已超越当前数字孪生技术的能力边界。本质上，它们必须能预判技术趋势、为安全需求持续适配，同时保持足够性能以应对尚未明确的安全标准升级。因此，软件定义汽车的设计师们正面临独特的工作范式：适当超出芯片当前需求的设计成为行业共识。 "行业存在两种思路，"Cadence计算解决方案事业部副总裁David Glasco分析道，"其一是预留充足余量。考虑到整车成本结构，增加几颗处理器或GPU并不会显著影响总成本。比如从8核CPU扩展到12核，芯片面积增加对成本影响有限。其二是采用可现场升级的模块化设计，类似PC时代的插卡式GPU，用户可根据软件需求随时升级。此外，车企普遍要求产品线采用统一架构，这意味着低配车型也会搭载高配硬件，后续通过软件解锁功能来实现价值延伸。 这种过度设计的需求直接源自主机厂的前瞻性要求。英飞凌美洲汽车市场营销副总裁Bill Stewart透露："客户需求中原本20%的缓冲余量已不再够用。设计方法论正在变革——过去我们会平衡1MB存储的方案，现在必须规划2MB甚至4MB的配置。处理性能、网络技术选择同样如此，我们必须为未来扩展预留空间，毕竟后期无法追加内存或算力。" 这种可扩展性需求始于基础硬件平台。"不同车型的硬件工程复杂度各异，"Rambus汽车业务开发总监Adiel Bahrouch指出，"工程师既要满足当前所有车型需求，又需前瞻5-10年可能出现的功能需求。" 软硬件关系的重构 汽车产业软硬件深度耦合的历史正在改写。"传统车辆每个功能都对应独立的ECU黑盒子，"Bahrouch回忆道，"虽然这种模式运行多年，但无法适应软件定义汽车的全生命周期功能扩展需求。" 长期目标是实现软硬件解耦，尤其对不自研硬件的车企更为关键。"虽然各厂商都想效仿特斯拉垂直整合模式，但多数选择松耦合路径，"Glasco比喻道，"这种关系介于CPU厂商与游戏开发者之间——既不像英特尔与游戏公司完全独立，也不如NVIDIA与游戏厂商那般紧密协同。" 紧密耦合的软硬件关系存在多重隐患。"有些功能攸关安全，有些则不然，"西门子数字工业软件混合虚拟系统副总裁David Fritz举例道，"当系统同时处理后排娱乐视频流和紧急避障时，如何确保极端工况下的芯片性能？芯片设计师和软件工程师都难以独自解决，需要系统级需求管理者通过整车电子系统的数字孪生来协调。" 这意味着开发流程的重构：软件团队需基于未完工的硬件编写代码，硬件团队则要适配尚未存在的软件功能。解决方案除了加强软硬件协同，更需建立多层级仿真体系。 "仿真工具生态正在蓬勃发展，"Stewart介绍，"主机厂采用不同层级的方案：既有快速验证高层功能的轻量级仿真，也有取代硬件在环的全面虚拟验证。我们提供支持故障注入的虚拟原型，开发者可以模拟各类异常场景。" 安全防线构筑 在快速迭代的同时，全设备的安全防护必须持续强化。"安全始终是移动靶，"Stewart强调，"加密算法、网络协议都需要持续升级。功能安全同样关键，必须预判芯片、软件或外部事件可能引发的失效模式，并建立监测防护机制。软件定义汽车放大了这些要素的重要性。" 面对多供应商芯片共存的复杂环境，建立统一安全标准成为挑战。Synopsys科学家Mike Borza指出："主机厂通过SAE等组织推动安全标准。以奔驰为例，他们建立可信根体系，通过物料清单验证每个组件的身份认证，确保网络接入安全。" 可靠性设计：汽车电子的终极考验 在软件定义汽车(SDV)的开发中，确保组件长期稳定运行是最后一道关键防线。系统级设计必须采用军用装备标准来打造普通家用轿车——与数据中心服务器在恒温恒湿环境中运行不同，车载电子系统必须在酷暑严寒(-40℃至85℃)的极端条件下保持正常工作。为此，设计师必须确保所有器件都符合汽车电子委员会AEC-Q100标准规定的严苛应力测试要求，这是汽车级元器件的基本准入门槛。 "快速热管理是核心技术难点，"Cadence的Glasco指出，"电动车电池需要持续进行温度调节以维持稳态。从芯片设计角度看，我们已经掌握宽温域（-40℃~125℃）稳定运行的解决方案。比如后视摄像头必须在0.5秒内完成低温启动，这种'冷启动即满血运行'的要求，早已成为汽车芯片设计的基本功。" 结论 软件定义汽车（SDV）正成为蓬勃发展的汽车行业中一个新兴且快速增长的领域。虽然芯片长期以来一直是汽车的重要组成部分，但SDV的出现要求设计人员采用新的设计思路以应对独特挑战。 这些挑战包括：设计能够支持未来多年软件更新的硬件，这可能需要在初期进行一定程度的超前设计；尽管软硬件团队在汽车领域一直需要紧密协作，但SDV的兴起要求两者在保持深度交互认知的同时实现一定程度的解耦。 此外，设计人员在开发系统时还需统筹考虑安全需求，以及车辆运行环境的复杂多样性。 报名链接：https://my.31huiyi.com/m/7b730000-5fdf-ea7d-1fce-08dd263bde83?theme=light 市场合作：吴老师 电话:18217555248 邮箱:lilian.wu@artisan-event.com

在本周SEMICON日本年度博览会上，代表电子制造供应链的全球行业协会SEMI 发布年终总设备预测，报告称，2018年全球新半导体制造设备销售额预计将增长9.7％，达到621亿美元，超过去年创下566亿美元的历史新高。预计2019年设备市场将收缩4.0％，但仍会有20.7％的增长，达到719亿美元，创历史新高。 根据SEMI年末预测报告，预测晶圆加工设备将在2018年增长10.2％至502亿美元。另一个前端部分 - 包括晶圆厂设备，晶圆制造和掩模/掩模设备 - 预计今年将增长0.9％至25亿美元。预计2018年组装和封装设备部分将增长1.9％至40亿美元，而半导体测试设备预计今年将增长15.6％至54亿美元。 2018年，韩国将连续第二年成为最大的设备市场。中国大陆的排名继续上升，首次获得第二名，从而将中国台湾地区挤到了第三位。除中国台湾、北美和韩国外，所有地区都获得了增长。中国大陆的增长率将达到55.7％，其次是日本32.5％，世界其他地区（主要是东南亚）为23.7％，欧洲为14.2％。 对于2019年，SEMI预测韩国、中国大陆和中国台湾将继续占据前三大市场，三个地区都保持其相对排名。预计韩国的设备销售额将达到132亿美元，中国大陆将达到125亿美元，而中国台湾的设备销售额将达到118.1亿美元。日本、中国台湾和北美是明年预计经历增长的唯一地区。2020年的增长前景要乐观得多，所有区域市场预计将在2020年增加，韩国市场增长最多，其次是中国和世界其他地区。 以下数据以市场规模计算（单位：十亿美元）：

Active Semi recently announced its PAC5220WP wireless power SoC solution. This company specialises in creating the chips used for charging, controlling, and powering smart electronic devices. While I was chatting with the folks at Active Semi, they mentioned the various techniques we use to recharge our mobile devices. In the not-so-distant past, the two predominant techniques were to use wall chargers or car chargers. As we discussed in my previous column, another technique rapidly gaining traction is the use of a wireless charging station. But there is another technology known as power banks (or powerbanks). These are essentially external rechargeable batteries equipped with a regular USB-A port (the output used for charging your smartphone or whatever) and a micro or mini USB port (the input used for charging your power bank).   These scamps come in all shapes, sizes, and capacities. Some are the height and width of a credit card and about as thick as eight cards. These slip easily into one's pocket, but the amount of charge they can hold is somewhat limited. Others are larger and boast sufficient capacity to recharge even a monster smartphone five times or more. Power banks are one of those technologies that are not yet well known here in the USA, but they are very well known in other parts of the world. In fact, there is a huge difference in cultural awareness about this sort of technology and how it might be used. In some countries, like South Korea, they simply ship an extra battery with each phone. In other countries, these become more of a colourful fashion statement, and they may be augmented with extra ooh-shiny capabilities. In Japan, for example, you can get power banks that can also be used as hand warmers. In China, you can get power banks that also serve as small flashlights (torches in England). Many older users might not see much advantage in something like this. This is because their smartphone use model is to make only the occasional call and to recharge the phone once every couple of days. By comparison, younger users like my son would be on their smartphones 24/7 if they didn't have to go to sleep to recharge themselves. Having a power bank means they can keep on texting and doing whatever else they are doing while their friends' smartphones splutter out and fade away. When I asked my son if he had heard about power banks, he gave me that look that says, "You really don't have a clue what's going on, do you?" However, it turns out that he had never even heard of them until his grandmother gave him one for Christmas. I had been wondering about the purposes of the strangely shaped device he has charging from the wall each evening. It seems that he is one of the few kids at his high school who have one of these devices. This makes him the envy of all who know him. Birthday alert: This is a great time for you to demonstrate your technical knowhow to your younger siblings, children, and/or your nephews and nieces. It's also a chance to show that you are on the cutting edge of what's cool and trendy—simply give them the shiniest, most colourful power bank you can find as a gift, and then bask in the glow of a job well done. When the folks at Active-Semi heard that I did not own a power bank, they asked if I travelled much and if I carried anything like an iPad with me. When I admitted that I travel occasionally—to the forthcoming EE Live! Conference and Exhibition, to England to visit my dear old mom, or to India when I spoke at ESC a couple of years ago—and that I would never be without my trusty iPad, they insisted that my life would not be complete without a power bank of my very own . A couple of days later, a small package arrived on my desk. When I unpacked it, I discovered the little beauty shown below. I'm afraid my rather dingy photos don't do this justice. It actually has a brilliant white body with rather fetching mauve ends.   This device is approximately 2.5 inches wide, 4.5 inches long, and half an inch thick. The first thing I needed was a USB-A to USB-micro cable. Fortunately, like most people these days, I have stuff like this laying around all over the place. I plugged the USB-micro end into the input, and I plugged the USB-A end into the USB port on my iPad wall charger. The LEDs on the power bank started to flash in sequence, indicating that charging was in progress. It was almost fully charged when it arrived; it just needed a little topup.   As soon as the LEDs indicated that it was fully changed, I unplugged the device from the wall socket. Next, I used my regular USB-A to 30-pin Apple connector to connect the output from my Power Bank to my iPad 2.   My iPad started with a 24% charge (which I equate to ~2.4 hours of regular video watching/web browsing/emailing). I kept on checking its status, and it rose to about 85% before the charging icon disappeared, indicating that the power bank had given its all. This means that the power bank would provide me with an extra 85—24 = 61%, which equates to ~6 hours of additional iPad use. This is huge when you are on a long trip or trapped in an airport due to storms or whatever. The bottom line is that I have a great big smile on my face, and I now have a new BFF (best friend forever) in the form of my power bank, which will be travelling with me around the globe. Do you own a device like this? Have you even heard of them before? Did reading this column make you exclaim, "So that's what the girl is flashing around on that Target commercial on TV"?

Active Semi recently launched PAC5220WP wireless power SoC solution. This company specialises in creating the chips used for charging, controlling, and powering smart electronic devices. While I was chatting with the folks at Active Semi, they mentioned the various techniques we use to recharge our mobile devices. In the not-so-distant past, the two predominant techniques were to use wall chargers or car chargers. As we discussed in my previous column, another technique rapidly gaining traction is the use of a wireless charging station. But there is another technology known as power banks (or powerbanks). These are essentially external rechargeable batteries equipped with a regular USB-A port (the output used for charging your smartphone or whatever) and a micro or mini USB port (the input used for charging your power bank).   These scamps come in all shapes, sizes, and capacities. Some are the height and width of a credit card and about as thick as eight cards. These slip easily into one's pocket, but the amount of charge they can hold is somewhat limited. Others are larger and boast sufficient capacity to recharge even a monster smartphone five times or more. Power banks are one of those technologies that are not yet well known here in the USA, but they are very well known in other parts of the world. In fact, there is a huge difference in cultural awareness about this sort of technology and how it might be used. In some countries, like South Korea, they simply ship an extra battery with each phone. In other countries, these become more of a colourful fashion statement, and they may be augmented with extra ooh-shiny capabilities. In Japan, for example, you can get power banks that can also be used as hand warmers. In China, you can get power banks that also serve as small flashlights (torches in England). Many older users might not see much advantage in something like this. This is because their smartphone use model is to make only the occasional call and to recharge the phone once every couple of days. By comparison, younger users like my son would be on their smartphones 24/7 if they didn't have to go to sleep to recharge themselves. Having a power bank means they can keep on texting and doing whatever else they are doing while their friends' smartphones splutter out and fade away. When I asked my son if he had heard about power banks, he gave me that look that says, "You really don't have a clue what's going on, do you?" However, it turns out that he had never even heard of them until his grandmother gave him one for Christmas. I had been wondering about the purposes of the strangely shaped device he has charging from the wall each evening. It seems that he is one of the few kids at his high school who have one of these devices. This makes him the envy of all who know him. Birthday alert: This is a great time for you to demonstrate your technical knowhow to your younger siblings, children, and/or your nephews and nieces. It's also a chance to show that you are on the cutting edge of what's cool and trendy—simply give them the shiniest, most colourful power bank you can find as a gift, and then bask in the glow of a job well done. When the folks at Active-Semi heard that I did not own a power bank, they asked if I travelled much and if I carried anything like an iPad with me. When I admitted that I travel occasionally—to the forthcoming EE Live! Conference and Exhibition, to England to visit my dear old mom, or to India when I spoke at ESC a couple of years ago—and that I would never be without my trusty iPad, they insisted that my life would not be complete without a power bank of my very own . A couple of days later, a small package arrived on my desk. When I unpacked it, I discovered the little beauty shown below. I'm afraid my rather dingy photos don't do this justice. It actually has a brilliant white body with rather fetching mauve ends.   This device is approximately 2.5 inches wide, 4.5 inches long, and half an inch thick. The first thing I needed was a USB-A to USB-micro cable. Fortunately, like most people these days, I have stuff like this laying around all over the place. I plugged the USB-micro end into the input, and I plugged the USB-A end into the USB port on my iPad wall charger. The LEDs on the power bank started to flash in sequence, indicating that charging was in progress. It was almost fully charged when it arrived; it just needed a little topup.   As soon as the LEDs indicated that it was fully changed, I unplugged the device from the wall socket. Next, I used my regular USB-A to 30-pin Apple connector to connect the output from my Power Bank to my iPad 2.   My iPad started with a 24% charge (which I equate to ~2.4 hours of regular video watching/web browsing/emailing). I kept on checking its status, and it rose to about 85% before the charging icon disappeared, indicating that the power bank had given its all. This means that the power bank would provide me with an extra 85—24 = 61%, which equates to ~6 hours of additional iPad use. This is huge when you are on a long trip or trapped in an airport due to storms or whatever. The bottom line is that I have a great big smile on my face, and I now have a new BFF (best friend forever) in the form of my power bank, which will be travelling with me around the globe. Do you own a device like this? Have you even heard of them before? Did reading this column make you exclaim, "So that's what the girl is flashing around on that Target commercial on TV"?  

According to Karen Savala, president of the fab tool trade group SEMI Americas, the United States is experiencing a renaissance in manufacturing, and the semiconductor industry is going along for the ride. OK, Savala is not an impartial observer. Her job is to promote North American semiconductor capital equipment vendors, and the notion that chip building can make a comeback in the US is mighty appealing to SEMI member companies. For years, the conventional wisdom has been that chip making—like just about all other high-tech manufacturing endeavors—is slowly (or not so slowly) shifting to Asia, where less expensive labour and often more favourable tax policies make it more economical. But Savala, citing a recent Time magazine article , maintains that manufacturing in general is making a comeback in the US, and that chip making and other high-tech manufacturing operations are a big part of it. "High-tech manufacturing is thriving in the US, and some is even return to the US," she said Monday at a kickoff press conference for the annual Semicon West tradeshow in San Francisco. There has been much activity in recent years in upstate New York, where a number of semiconductor RD consortiums are getting down to work. Globalfoundries has built a massive fab there. But is that enough to be considered a renaissance? Savala said the increasing complexity of chip manufacturing favours close geographic proximity to fabless chip vendors, the semiconductor supply chain, and RD. Most of those are still found in the US. She also cited a "growing recognition of the importance of public-private partnerships in high-tech manufacturing," including the Global 450mm Consortium in New York. The building of chips on 450mm wafers will get its start in the US, and the first generation of 450mm megafabs will be located in the US. In addition, Savala mentioned US President Barack Obama's recent visit to an Applied Materials facility in Austin, Texas, as well as several examples from Obama's most recent State of the Union address that would appear to support high-tech manufacturing in the US. "At SEMI, we believe there is a renewed appreciation that semiconductor manufacturing is one of the most important industries in the US," she said. Savala cited Semiconductor Industry Association statistics that put total direct semiconductor employment in the US at nearly 245,000 and growth in the US chip manufacturing workforce at 3.7 per cent for 2011—three times the rate for the broader US economy. She also said that the chip industry is responsible for creating more that 1 million jobs in the supply chain and related US sectors, and that semiconductors are one of the leading US export categories—larger than corn, wheat, and soybeans combined. Again, consider the source. A comeback by the US chip building industry would be good for Savala and for SEMI. She makes some good points, but calling this a renaissance still seems like a reach. What do you think?   Dylan McGrath EE Times