Samsung will now make automotive chips for Israeli firm

Samsung is making a comeback in the semiconductor chip segment. Following the launch of its first 3nm smartphone chip, the Exynos 2500, Samsung has secured significant deals. These include contracts from Apple for camera sensors and Tesla for 2nm AI chips. Now, Samsung has secured another chip contract with an Israeli automotive chip firm.

Valens Semiconductor has announced that it has partnered with Samsung Electronics to develop the next generation of the MIPI A-PHY standard, which is used for high-speed linking of various automotive electronic devices, such as ADAS, ADS, cameras, displays, ECUs, and other sensors. This development is being done looking at strong demand from global car makers.

Samsung Foundry, the semiconductor chip manufacturing arm of Samsung Electronics, will make Valens' MIPI A-PHY-based semiconductor chipsets using its advanced FinFET process nodes optimised for automotive use. So, the company is most likely using its SF4A (4nm), an automotive-optimised process node, to make Valens' chips. This process has a proven track record in terms of performance, stability, and reliability.

This isn't the first time Samsung has collaborated with Valens. They have worked together in the past, and Samsung is among the early investors in the Israeli firm. They are also among the founding members of the HDBaseT Alliance, which is a cross-industry association that promotes the HDBaseT standard for high-definition interconnect to transfer five different signals over a single Cat 5e cable with RJ45 connectors. It has over 200 member companies, including LG and Sony.

Taejoong Song, corporate vice president of Foundry Technology Planning at Samsung Electronics, said, “OEMs are demanding a next-generation connectivity solution that can ferry them to higher levels of ADAS and autonomous driving, and A-PHY offers the key technical breakthroughs necessary to achieve this. Samsung FinFET technology for automotive applications carries remarkable performance. We are committed to delivering cutting-edge automotive solutions with Valens based on our advanced automotive process.“

Image Credits: Samsung Electronics, Valens