MediaTek to fuel automation in cars through new family of chipsets

Global semiconductor leader MediaTek today announced its plan to bring holistic, fully integrated system solutions to the automotive industry beginning Q1 2017.

With an expertise in chipset design – for mobile, home entertainment, connectivity and IoT – MediaTek plans to bring innovative multimedia, connectivity and sensor solutions to the automotive industry. MediaTek solutions for automobile manufacturers will cover four key areas, including advanced driver assistance systems, precision radar technology, in-vehicle infotainment and telematics, the company said in a release today.

By offering technology solutions in these key areas, MediaTek is looking to help solve fragmentation concerns, which has emerged as a key issue for an autonomous landscape. Automobile manufacturers often work with multiple vendors that specialise in a single, ‘best-in-class’ solution. Products are thereby sourced separately and don’t always interact seamlessly.

“The complicated systems of tomorrow’s high-tech cars will require a high degree of integration, innovative power management and improved functionality to support both the highest level of safety demands and driving experiences consumers need. MediaTek will bring one integrated package of semiconductors to the market – a holistic solution that is now lacking in the auto industry,” said JC Hsu, corporate vice-president and general manager of the New Business Department Business Unit at MediaTek.

The market for connected and autonomous vehicles continues to grow, and the automotive industry and car-makers demand advanced technologies equipped with a blend of power-efficiency, processing power and affordability. MediaTek’s ability to scale product development and production – drawing from its experience powering nearly 1.5 billion connected devices a year – will benefit automobile manufacturers and their suppliers, the company added.

MediaTek already has proven experience in delivering an intuitive hardware and software application platform across the connected home and smart device landscape. Now it would be interesting to see if the company can replicate similar success in the automotive industry as well.