01

Typical Classification of Chips

Chips can typically be classified into four levels based on application scenarios: consumer grade, industrial grade, automotive grade, and military grade, with requirements in the order of military > automotive > industrial > consumer.

Mobile chips belong to the consumer grade, while automotive chips belong to the automotive grade. The application scenarios for mobile and automotive chips differ, and the design focus is also not the same. Automotive chips have higher requirements than mobile chips.

02

Mobile Chips Evolve Faster Than Automotive Chips

The iteration cycle for mobile devices is typically one year, with a lifespan or replacement frequency of about 1-3 years. Development cycles are short, such as Xiaomi’s digital series, which releases a new model every year. Mobile chips also see upgrades every year, focusing more on performance, power consumption, and cost; for instance, the Xiaomi 11 has introduced the Snapdragon 888.

The iteration speed for automotive chips may vary between manufacturers, but generally, it is a minor update every year, a major update every three years, and a complete replacement every five years. The development cycle is longer, usually around 24-36 months, with higher research and development costs. The lifespan is approximately 8-10 years, hence the iteration cycle for automotive chips is relatively longer.

• Mobile chips are akin to sprinters, pursuing short bursts of power and running faster. The manufacturing process and performance are more advanced, with higher manufacturing thresholds. For example, mobile chips like Snapdragon 888 and Kirin 9000 have already reached 5nm technology, with rapid iteration.
• Automotive chips resemble long-distance runners, seeking long-term stability, running farther. They have stricter reliability and safety requirements, with higher consistency demands in manufacturing. They must pass automotive certification, and the verification cycle is long, with manufacturing processes typically lagging behind mobile chips by 2-3 years.

With the advancement of automotive intelligence, applications like autonomous driving and smart cabins have placed certain requirements on chip computing power. Players in the mobile chip market, such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and MTK, have also begun to enter the automotive market. For instance, Qualcomm’s 820A for smart cabin control solutions uses 14nm technology, while SA8155 uses 7nm, and SA8195 uses 5nm technology.

Automotive chips have longer development cycles, greater difficulty, and higher prices than mobile chips. The process from design to wafer fabrication, automotive certification, model introduction verification, and mass production typically takes 3-5 years.

03

Automotive Chips Have Higher Requirements than Mobile Chips

Automotive products differ from consumer products; they operate in harsh environments such as outdoors, high temperatures, extreme cold, and humidity. The design lifespan is generally 15 years or 200,000 kilometers, and the iteration cycle is much longer than the 2-3 years for consumer electronics. There are also higher demands for environmental resistance, vibration, impact, reliability, and consistency, thus the cost is also higher than for consumer and industrial grades.

Automakers typically require suppliers to use automotive-grade components to ensure the quality and reliability of automotive ECU products. The AEC-Q series standards are industry-recognized certification standards for automotive-grade components.

04

Similarities and Differences in the Design of Mobile and Automotive Chips

The design processes for mobile and automotive chips are similar, including three main phases: design, manufacturing, and packaging testing. Improvements in the design of mobile chips compared to automotive chips mainly include: selecting single crystals, tightening screening, enhancing packaging design, using good materials such as gold wire, widening pin spacing, and AEC-Q certification.

For example, the production process of a certain automotive-grade chip is as follows:

• Utilizing TSMC automotive-grade wafer manufacturing processes that comply with TS16949 certification;
• Automotive-grade packaging testing lines;
• Using QFN-48L (6X6mm) packaging;
• Employing the wettable flank process for pin-side tin plating, enhancing the SMT board safety and board-level reliability;
• Conducting three temperature tests on the packaged finished product;
• Strictly controlling the entire introduction process according to APQP documentation;
• Using gold wire, surface roughening treatment frames, and other high-reliability materials;
• Selecting qualified automated equipment for dedicated line management;
• Implementing special deburring treatment for pin step cutting burrs, among other measures, to meet the automotive product’s stringent zero-defect quality requirements.

05

Can Mobile Chips Be Used Directly in Cars?

With the increasing functionality of in-car infotainment systems, the requirements for automotive chips are becoming more similar to those of mobile phones. What technical improvements are needed for mobile consumer-grade chips to be used in cars? Or can they be used directly in automotive systems?

1. Chip Design Improvements to Increase Automotive Grade and Certification

Qualcomm’s automotive solutions involve increasing automotive specifications for mobile chips through tighter screening, reinforced packaging, widened pin spacing, and AEC-Q100 certification. Chips like 820A/ SA6155/ SA8155/ SA8195 can all trace their origins to consumer-grade mobile chips.

2. Modules Passing Automotive Standards (AEC-Q104)

Although mobile chips are not automotive-grade, by packaging core components like SOC, DDR, EMMC/UFS into modules that pass AEC-Q104 certification, it is possible to meet automotive requirements. A typical example is the E02 from Yika Tong, which adopts the module passing AEC-Q104 certification strategy.

3. OEMs Compromise Due to Cost Pressures

As competition in the automotive market intensifies, OEMs face increasing cost pressures, especially for low-end models. They aim to improve connectivity, performance, and affordability, leading them to consider mobile chips. The biggest advantage of mobile chips over automotive chips is that they come with built-in modems, saving TBOX costs. Additionally, they are cheaper since the sales volume of mobile phones has already amortized the R&D costs of the chips.

Therefore, in the fierce competition of the automotive market, Qualcomm’s low-cost non-automotive series and MediaTek’s Huangshan series have formed differentiated positioning compared to automotive-grade solutions. Qualcomm’s QCM8953/QCM6125 and MediaTek’s MT8665/MT8666/MT8667 non-automotive solutions target the mid-to-low-end automotive market, providing low-cost cabin solutions. Many models from a certain new energy manufacturer in southern China adopt Qualcomm’s low-cost solutions, and most models from Changan and Geely have also begun to use the MT8666 solution this year.

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