Strengthening the SDV Foundation through Hardware-Software collaboration
As the automotive industry pivots toward the software-defined vehicle (SDV), the complexity of vehicle software is skyrocketing. To meet this challenge, the traditional silos between hardware and software must break down.
This is the focus of an episode of the "Empowering Tomorrow's Automotive Software" podcast, where Janak Patel, Technical Director at ETAS, sat down with Hugo Ochoa, Product Marketing Manager at Infineon, to discuss how their long-standing partnership is optimizing security and performance for next-generation microcontrollers. You can hear the full episode wherever you listen to podcasts.
Addressing today’s performance demands
Infineon is tackling the need for real-time capability and cybersecurity through a robust, scalable microcontroller portfolio that includes the TRAVEO and AURIX brands. These modern systems are designed for high-stakes applications (e.g., powertrain electrification, ADAS) and offer:
Advanced safety features
Integrated lockstep cores (i.e., shadow cores) and hardware diagnostics, such as error correction code on memories.
Embedded security
Hardware-based secure boot and cryptographic capabilities that are now essential for every electronic control unit (ECU).
High-Speed connectivity
Integrated communication accelerators and engines that offload Ethernet and CAN FD data handling, preventing the CPU from becoming overburdened.
Enabling hardware via integrated software
While hardware provides the capability, software provides the enablement. Janak highlighted several key areas where ETAS and Infineon collaborate to ensure hardware features are ready for developers the moment a new chip hits the market:
- Real-Time OS: ETAS works early with Infineon to port its RTA-OS to new devices, ensuring immediate support for new microcontroller releases.
- Security firmware: The two companies have a long history of pairing ETAS’ CycurHSM software with Infineon’s hardware security modules to provide a trusted execution environment.
- Measurement & calibration: Using the JTAG interface, ETAS’s ETK product enables high-speed data acquisition directly from Infineon microcontrollers.
Accelerating time-to-market
To help customers deploy faster, the partners offer an AUTOSAR Classic Starter Kit. This turnkey solution pairs the Infineon Microcontroller Abstraction Layer (MCAL) with the ETAS RTA-CAR solution on an evaluation board. Instead of spending months on basic integration, developers receive a system that is already communicating over Ethernet and running security protocols, allowing them to immediately focus on their unique application software.
Looking ahead: virtualization and AI at the edge
As electrical architectures evolve toward zone and central compute models, the role of the microcontroller is changing. Hugo and Janak discussed the shift toward:
- Virtualization: Using hardware-based hypervisors, like those in AURIX TC4 devices, and lightweight software hypervisors from ETAS to partition critical and non-critical tasks on a single chip.
- Edge AI: Directly integrating localized AI algorithms into microcontrollers to improve local safety and responsiveness.
- Energy efficiency: In the era of EVs, "real-time throughput per watt" is becoming as vital as processing speed.
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