Marvell Semiconductor on Thursday announced new Ethernet-based central single-chip switches to help automotive OEMs deliver software-defined services for next-gen vehicles and improve safety.
The new Brightlane A622x family is currently sampling to auto customers and partners, but pricing was not announced. It is so far comprised of two versions, one with 90 Gbps throughput and the other with 60 Gbps and with eight integrated 10G SerDes ports or five ports, respectively. Marvell said 90 Gbps is nearly double the speed of of other currently available auto switches.
Marvell built the chips to security specifications that OEMs are demanding, including Layer 2 MACsec link security to authenticate and encrypt traffic. A hardware security module secures L2 and encryption keys and an enhanced TCAM helps classify data flows for greater intrusion detection.
Vehicles are already moving to a software-defined approach, which allows owners to download features and keep their cars on the newest technology. One example is Tesla, which allows owners of some of its vehicles to download select automated driving features for an added cost that are supported by the car’s existing hardware.
“We obviously see the trend happening for software defined vehicles. Major OEM’s don’t want to talk about anything else. They say if you don’t have it, don’t come to us,” said Amir Bar-Niv, vice president of marketing for automotive at Marvell in an interview with Fierce Electronics.
Marvell currently collaborates with more than 40 OEMs, including design wins with eight of the 10 largest on various auto Ethernet solutions. That market is growing quickly, at nearly 40% a year, according to TechInsights and Marvell estimates.
“The software-defined car depends on new hardware and it won’t happen without Ethernet, said Roger Lanctot, direct of auto connected mobility at TechInsights, in a statement.
“Marvell is all about auto Ethernet and it’s a major growth area for us moving forward,” Bar-Niv said.
RELATED: Global chip sales to decline 10% in ’23, followed by ’24 rebound