Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch a cloud-based platform for virtual evaluation of its automotive microcontrollers (MCUs), the company said. The platform is designed to shorten development cycles for automotive systems by removing dependency on physical hardware.
According to Infineon, the platform reduces MCU evaluation cycles from several weeks to minutes, lowers the cost of evaluation per user, and supports hundreds of concurrent users globally. It already includes Infineon's next-generation RISC-V architecture.
Thomas Schneid, Vice President of Software, Partner & Ecosystem Management at Infineon, said development speed has become a key competitive factor in the automotive industry, particularly with the rise of software-defined vehicles. He said hardware dependency had been a bottleneck for engineering teams, and that the new platform makes it easier for customers to begin working with Infineon's microcontrollers earlier in the development process, including new RISC-V-based products.
The platform is built on AWS's Virtual Engineering Workbench, an open-source offering used by automotive and manufacturing companies for digital toolchains, hardware virtualisation and infrastructure management. It offers a browser-based interface that removes the need for local tool installation and provides isolated cloud environments for individual users.
Sonja Gatzke, Head of Manufacturing at AWS Germany, said the collaboration allows engineering teams that previously waited days to evaluate a microcontroller to begin within minutes, with RISC-V architectures made instantly accessible to developers worldwide.
The platform offers two modes of use. Quick Mode allows rapid testing through pre-configured reference applications, while Expert Mode provides a full in-browser virtual machine environment with compilation, flashing, debugging and performance analysis for more advanced prototyping work.
Infineon said the platform also automates the packaging and release of new MCU variants for its product teams, and includes usage tracking to inform future product planning.
The platform will be available to selected Infineon customers from the third quarter of 2026, with wider rollout to follow.