Introduction: Why are Automotive-Grade Chips So Important?
Driven by the wave of intelligence and electrification, automobiles have evolved from traditional mechanical products into “smart terminals” that heavily rely on electronic control systems. The core of this transformation is the automotive-grade chips.Automotive-grade chips differ from consumer-grade or industrial-grade chips; they must meet the stringent requirements for reliability, safety, and durability in the automotive industry. Whether in the extreme cold of northern winters or the scorching desert environment, automotive-grade chips must operate stably, as any failure could directly impact driving safety. According to the 2025 China Automotive Electronics Industry Report, the global market for automotive-grade chips has surpassed $80 billion, with the Chinese market accounting for over 35%, making it the largest demand market for automotive-grade chips worldwide.However, testing and certification of automotive-grade chips is not an easy task. It involves complex testing processes, stringent environmental adaptability verification, and long-term reliability assessments. This article will focus on the domestic automotive-grade chip testing market, exploring its technical challenges, industry status, and future trends.1. Standards and Certification System for Automotive-Grade ChipsThe core standard for automotive-grade chips is the AEC-Q series certification, established by the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC). These include:· AEC-Q100 (Integrated Circuits)· AEC-Q101 (Discrete Semiconductor Devices)· AEC-Q200 (Passive Components)These standards cover performance testing of chips under extreme conditions such as temperature (-40℃ to 150℃), mechanical vibration, humidity, and long-term aging. For example, AEC-Q100 requires chips to function normally after 1000 hours of high-temperature and high-humidity testing (85℃/85%RH), while consumer-grade chips typically only need to pass a few hundred hours of testing.In China, in addition to the AEC-Q standards, the China Automotive Chip Industry Innovation Strategic Alliance (CACIA) is also promoting a localized certification system, such as the “Automotive Chip Functional Safety Guidelines” (2024 edition), to meet the specific needs of the Chinese market.
2. Core Challenges in Testing Automotive-Grade Chips1. Testing Challenges for High-Performance ChipsWith the proliferation of autonomous driving (L4/L5) and intelligent cockpits, the demand for computing power in automotive-grade chips has increased exponentially. By 2025, mainstream autonomous driving chips will exceed 500 TOPS (such as NVIDIA Thor and Horizon Journey 6), which raises higher requirements for chip heat dissipation, power consumption, and signal integrity testing.Traditional testing methods (such as static parameter testing) can no longer meet these demands; dynamic performance testing and AI algorithm validation have become new focal points. For example, a domestic testing agency uses real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) technology to simulate complex traffic scenarios and verify chip stability under extreme loads.2. Reliability and Lifespan TestingAutomotive-grade chips typically require a lifespan of over 15 years, significantly higher than consumer electronics (3-5 years). Therefore, accelerated aging tests (such as temperature cycling and power cycling) have become critical. By 2025, leading domestic testing agencies have introduced AI predictive models to analyze chip failure modes through big data, significantly shortening testing cycles.3. Functional Safety (ISO 26262) and Information Security (ISO 21434)Smart vehicles have high requirements for functional safety, especially for chips involved in critical systems such as braking and steering, which must meet ASIL-D (highest safety level). At the same time, cybersecurity attacks (such as OTA upgrade vulnerabilities) have also become a focus of testing. Domestic testing agencies are combining formal verification, fuzz testing, and other technologies to enhance chip security capabilities.3. Current Status of the Domestic Automotive-Grade Chip Testing Market1. Landscape of Testing AgenciesCurrently, the domestic automotive-grade chip testing market is mainly dominated by three types of agencies:· National laboratories: such as the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) and the National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Center (NEVC).· Third-party testing agencies: such as Huace Testing, SGS, and TÜV Rheinland.· In-house laboratories of automotive companies: such as BYD Semiconductor and NIO Automotive Chip Verification Center.According to industry statistics from 2025, there are over 20 domestic agencies with complete AEC-Q100 testing capabilities, but fewer than 10 can cover the entire process (design → wafer fabrication → packaging → system-level testing), and high-end testing capabilities still rely on overseas agencies.2. Breakthroughs in Testing Domestic ChipsIn recent years, the rise of domestic automotive-grade chips (such as Horizon, Black Sesame, and Xinchip Technology) has driven the development of local testing technologies. For example:· The Horizon Journey 5 chip passed AEC-Q100 Grade 2 certification in 2024 and completed a 5000-hour high-temperature aging test at a leading domestic testing agency.· The Huawei MDC 810 autonomous driving platform passed ISO 26262 ASIL-D certification, and its testing process adopted a hybrid verification method of virtualization and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL).Despite this, the testing capabilities of domestic chips in high-end MCUs and high-precision sensors still lag behind international standards.
4. Future Trends: Intelligent Testing and Domestic Substitution1. Intelligent Testing Technologies· AI + Big Data Analysis: Using machine learning to predict chip failures and optimize test cases.· Digital Twin: Simulating the full lifecycle performance of chips in a virtual environment.2. Acceleration of Domestic SubstitutionIn 2025, the “White Paper on the Independent Development of Automotive Chips in China” proposed that by 2030, the self-sufficiency rate of domestic automotive-grade chips should reach 70%. This will drive the localization of testing equipment, such as chip testing machines from Shanghai Microelectronics and packaging testing equipment from Changchuan Technology, which have entered the mainstream supply chain.3. Policy Support and Industry CollaborationIn 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the “Guidelines for the Construction of Automotive Chip Testing and Certification Systems,” encouraging the establishment of a “chip-vehicle” collaborative testing platform to shorten certification cycles. For example, a certain new energy vehicle company has co-established a “joint laboratory” with chip manufacturers, reducing the chip testing cycle from 12 months to 6 months.Conclusion: Testing Automotive-Grade Chips, Opportunities and Challenges in the Chinese MarketTesting automotive-grade chips is not only a technical issue but also an industrial ecosystem issue. With the rise of domestic chips, local testing agencies are entering a golden development period. However, to compete with international giants in the high-end market, continuous breakthroughs in testing methods, standard formulation, and equipment development are still needed.In the future, as technologies such as intelligent driving, vehicle-road collaboration, and integrated cockpit continue to proliferate, testing automotive-grade chips will become more complex, but it will also bring more innovative opportunities for the domestic testing industry.