SiFive is creating a lineup of compute IP for MCUs, MPUs, and soon, SoCs, as well as vector-processing solutions tailored for automotive applications. The first automotive family cores will become available later this year.
Key trends in automotive electronic architecture these days include centralization of computing, increased computing at the sensing edge, higher software complexity due to mixed criticality (a system containing computer hardware and software that can execute several applications of different criticality, such as safety critical and non-safety critical), and a shift from domain to zonal controllers, to list but a few. These requirements have created the need for new, more capable electronic control units (ECUs), and a higher degree of functional integration in fewer devices.