January 23, 2020 by Luke James
The company claims that these new vehicle processors will mark a significant turning point in the way that vehicle architectures are designed and implemented.
In early January 2020, NXP announced its new S32G vehicle network processors and said that they mark a significant turning point in the way that vehicle architectures are designed and implemented. As the latest offering from the NXP S32 family of processors, the S32G processors enable are said to enable the automotive industry to shift to high-performance domain-based vehicle architectures and provide reduced software complexity alongside better security and higher safety standards.
The S32G processors’ will find their primary role in service-orientated gateways, transforming OEMs from carmakers into the providers of vehicle data-driven service providers, expanding their business opportunities.
The S32G combines two processors into one “single-chip version” – an automotive microprocessor and an enterprise network processor – said Ray Cornyn, NXP’s general manager and vice president of Vehicle Dynamics Products. It functions as a gateway processor for connected vehicles by offering enterprise-level networking capabilities and enables data-intensive ADAS applications while simultaneously providing secure networking and communication capabilities, he explained.
S32G is part of NXP’s S32 family of processors that are based on a unified architecture of high-performance MCUs, MPUs, interfaces, and application-specific acceleration.
According to NXP, the S32 architecture addresses the challenges of future vehicle development with architectural innovations that are designed to enable carmakers to bring rich in-vehicle experiences and advanced driving functions to market much quicker than ever before.
Product image of the NXP S32G Automotive Network Processor. Image Credit: NXP.
The S32G NXP processors mark a shift to high-performance domain-based vehicle architectures. Coming generations of connected automobiles will require a major shift in performance and security in order to deliver on their promises and data-driven opportunities.
By securely managing data transmission around the vehicle, protecting critical applications from malicious intent and ever-increasing cybersecurity threats, the processors are said by NXP to be the world’s first that integrates traditional MCUs with high-performance application processors that feature ASIL D functional safety support and network acceleration. The result is a greater level of functionality than previously offered in a single processor.
As connected, autonomous, and electrified vehicles continue to develop and enable a host of data-based services to emerge, there are plenty of opportunities for OEMs and solutions providers to take advantage of the S32G family’s robust and secure processing capabilities.
Bernhard Augustin, Director of ECU Development Autonomous Driving at Audi, said, “We found the unique combination of networking, performance and safety features of the S32G processor to be ideal for use in our next-generation ADAS domain controller.”
