Japan Inc – Automakers Start Advanced SoC Research

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Twelve companies* comprised of automotive, electrical component, and semiconductor firms have established the so-called  “Advanced SoC Research for Automotive” (ASRA) on 1 December 2023 to conduct research and develop high-performance digital semiconductors (System on Chip or SoC) for use in automobiles.Keiji Yamamoto, Senior Fellow, Toyota Motor Corp., is the chairperson  of the company. Nobuaki Kawahara, Senior Advisor, DENSO Corp., is the executive director.

ASRA aims to establish in-vehicle chiplet technology by 2028 and to install SoCs in mass-produced vehicles from 2030 onward. By combining Japan’s technological capabilities and experience in automotive, electrical components, and semiconductors, ASRA will work with industry, government, and academia to promote domestic and international collaboration as a world-leading technology research group, the socially and environmentally awakened firms said.

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“ASRA will research and develop SoCs for automobiles using chiplet technology to install SoC in mass-production vehicles from 2030 onward,” according to a release made public four weeks after the fact. Roughly 1000 semiconductors are used in each automobile, and the types vary depending on the application. Among them, SoCs are essential semiconductors for autonomous driving technology and multimedia systems in automobiles, which require the latest semiconductor technology to achieve advanced computing power,” the consortium said in a release.

*Automotive Manufacturers

• Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Mazda Motor Corporation
• Nissan Motor Corporation
• Subaru Corporation
• Toyota Motor Corporation

Electrical Component Manufacturers

• Denso Corporation
• Panasonic Automotive Systems Co.

Semiconductor Companies

• Cadence Design Systems, Japan
• MIRISE Technologies Corporation
• Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Socionext Inc.
• Synopsys Japan