Renesas Electronics develops a new 28 nanometer automotive test chip

  • The MCU incorporates four 600MHz CPUs equipped with a lock-step mechanism as well as a 16MB flash memory
  • The chip would be a stepping stone that would help the development of next-gen automotive-control flash MCUs
Renesas Electronics Corporation (Renesas), a renowned Japanese semiconductor manufacturing company, has reportedly announced that it has successfully developed & verified the operation of a new automotive test chip through a 28nm (nanometer) low-power process. Reports cite, the innovative chip would be a stepping stone that would help in the development of the next-generation of automotive-control flash MCUs (microcontrollers). The MCU incorporates four 600MHz CPUs equipped with a lock-step mechanism as well as a massive 16MB flash memory. According to a press release by Renesas Electronics, the 28nm chip also boasts of some other features such as virtualization-assisted functions that enable microcontroller virtualization to allow multiple software components to execute on a single MCU, an enhanced BITS (built-in self-test) functionality for self-diagnostic fault-detection that is crucial to implement ASIL D, and an enhanced networking functionality which also includes a Gigabit Ethernet interface to be able to transfer sensor information at a high-speed. New E/E (electrical/electronic) architectures are propelling the demands for integration of several ECUs (Electronic Control Units) into a single ECU that is capable of supporting multiple functions. Attaining this integration requires a higher level of performance, a large flash memory and reduced power-consumption that the new chip is capable of offering. Automotive MCUs also face issues with simultaneously executing software components that vary in their safety integrity levels without them interfering with each other's execution. Apart from needing a distinguished level of software independence, the automotive control also requires a real-time responsiveness, which can be easily achieved through the chip's innovative new features. According to reports, the financial details pertaining to the chip's development & its retail price have not been unveiled by the company.