Infineon and Marelli have joined forces to develop an advanced Zone Control Unit (ZCU), unveiling cutting-edge technology paving the way for the future of Software Defined Vehicles (SDV).
🟦 Changing the next generation of cars! Infineon and Marelli’s innovative collaboration
The collaboration between Infineon and Marelli is enabling major advances in the vehicle’s Electrical and Electronic (E/E) architecture. At the heart of the collaboration is Infineon’s latest microcontroller, the AURIX TC4x. With this MCU, Marelli has developed a Zone Control Unit (ZCU) for ultra-low latency data communication and efficient software updates. In particular, this increases data transfer speeds inside the vehicle and enables independent software updates to modernize functionality without system downtime.
🟦 Why is a Zone Control Unit Necessary?
In traditional vehicle design, various functions are handled by individual Electronic Control Units (ECUs), but the increase in ECUs has led to problems with the complexity of wiring and data management within the vehicle. The introduction of Zone Control Units (ZCUs) is the key to solving these challenges.
Infineon’s AURIX TC4x supports the latest interfaces such as Multi-Gigabit Ethernet and PCI Express for faster and more stable communication. With a focus on security and safety, the TC4x also offers enhanced security in line with the ISO/SAE 21434 standard.
🟦 Summary
The collaboration between Infineon and Marelli has brought automotive E/E architecture to a new level. The AURIX TC4x-based ZCU not only meets the requirements of next-generation vehicles, such as ultra-low latency communication and independent software updates, but also opens up new possibilities for future vehicle designs.
It is very appealing that placing a controller in each zone of the vehicle enables a simpler and more efficient vehicle design. I think that being able to propose and realize such an advanced architecture is a strength unique to a major automotive parts manufacturer that handles a wide range of systems in-house.
