The automotive industry is evolving rapidly. To implement cutting-edge automotive systems, there is a growing focus on collaboration between processor-centric digital semiconductors and the high-performance analog semiconductors that are an integral part of the ecosystem. In response to this important trend in vehicle electronics, Maxim has increased its investment in a broad portfolio of analog integrated circuits (ICs) for automotive applications. These include LED lighting, software-defined radio (SDR), Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSL) solutions, battery management ICs, and power management ICs.
According to a 2014 survey by the US research firm IC Insights, the automotive semiconductor market is projected to grow at an average rate of 10.8% from 2013 to 2018. This is a higher growth rate than the 6.8% for communication semiconductors and the 5.7% for integrated circuits in industrial/medical equipment. This growth is driven by the increasing popularity of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs), the development of semi-autonomous driving systems, and various advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and camera functions.
Through its participation in Renesas' "R-Car Consortium," Maxim is able to offer a cost-reducing solution for radio tuners, configuring them with a single design compatible with any type of radio system. This solution reduces the number of components previously required for baseband signal processing by featuring the industry's first direct digital connection between a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and an analog front end in a software-defined radio (SDR) application. This approach will allow the SoC to rapidly process digital signals and is expected to become a standard signal processing protocol in next-generation radios. Alongside its PMIC and GMSL offerings, Maxim is well-positioned to deliver innovative solutions that add value to the automotive ecosystem.
