In Co
nnected car news are Ronald Berger, Hyundai, Ford, Ansys and AWS.
Why some chips are up and some are down
By Ronald Berger
In contrast, older generations of semiconductors, which are often still used in automotive and industrial electronics, will remain in short supply for the foreseeable future. These are some of the key findings of Roland Berger’s study “Semiconductor Shortages: A Different Kind of Trouble Ahead”.
“We continue to see a structural shortage of analog semiconductors and microcontrollers that will persist for several years. The semiconductor industry is somewhat relieved by the lower demand for computers and consumer electronics. But it will make capacity and inventory planning even more difficult for both microchip manufacturers and the companies that use them,” says Falk Meissner, Partner at Roland Berger. “We have the unusual situation of simultaneously seeing shortages, overcapacity and an oversupply of semiconductors.”
High inventories vs. chip shortages
Currently, the market is oversupplied for almost half of the chips needed in consumer electronics, almost 40% in computers and 34% in telecoms. On the other hand, there is a shortage of analog semiconductors and microcontroller units (MCU), which account for almost two-thirds of the chips used in the automotive sector and 57% of the chips used in the industrial sector.
Electronic manufacturing services for electronic components such as smartphones and televisions increased their inventories from the historical average of 16% (2012-2020) to 23% (2020-2021). This initially exacerbated the chip shortage for high-performance chips. Now that global demand for these chips is slowing, there is an increased risk of a bullwhip effect – where even small changes in end-customer demand can result in ever-larger fluctuations in order levels down the multi-tiered supply chain. To avoid negative financial impact or even scrapping of inventory, these companies need to change their approach to inventory management.
The newly passed laws to promote domestic semiconductor production in the USA (US Chip Act) and Europe (European Chip Act) do little to change this. The lead times are very long and there is almost no support for the production of older chip generations. In the US, for example, only $2 billion, or 5%, of the $39 billion in semiconductor production subsidies is allocated to older-generation chip manufacturing.
Semiconductor buyers must use the coming months to build up capacities in strategic chip management and to significantly increase the transparency of the supply chain. Automotive suppliers and contract manufacturers in particular need to optimize their inventories as well as their cash and cost management.
“Automotive and industrial companies have to adapt to the market customs of the electronics and semiconductor industry in order to ensure their chip supply. This includes always using chips of the latest generation and pursuing a risk-adjusted procurement policy. Companies cannot wait until the shortage of chips is over, they have to take action themselves,” Meissner sums up.
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All Hyundai (except) NEXo have rear occupant alerts
Hyundai has exceeded its voluntary commitment to implement rear seat reminder systems across most of its lineups. To date, all 2023 Hyundai vehicles (except NEXO) offered for sale in the US will feature Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) technology as standard. In addition, more advanced ultrasonic ROA technology will be offered as an option on a number of Hyundai vehicles and as standard on the Santa Fe PHEV and Santa Fe HEV. ROA technology reminds drivers to check the rear seat area to ensure a child or pet is not accidentally left in the rear seat after parking. The system helps prevent heat stroke in children when children are left in a parked vehicle.
“Hyundai is committed to providing our customers, passengers and other road users with the latest safety technologies,” said Brian Latouf, Global Chief Safety Officer, Hyundai Motor Company. “Featuring Hyundai’s standard safety technology offerings including – Rear Occupant Alert (ROA), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with Pedestrian Detection/Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Keep Assist (LKA)/Lane Departure Warning (LDW), and Driver Attention Warning (DAW) helps Hyundai customers avoid accidents and minimize the likelihood of death and injury on the road. These safety performances are further proof of Hyundai’s leadership in the automotive industry.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), heatstroke is a leading cause of non-accidental deaths in children. According to research data from the National Safety Council (NCS), 936 children have died from heat stroke in the car since 1998, in 2022 it was 29 children quickly and fatally. To further prevent such tragedies, NHTSA called for voluntary industry commitments to make ROA standard for virtually all light commercial vehicles.
All 2023 model year Hyundai vehicles also come standard with automatic emergency braking technology/forward collision avoidance assist, a goal Hyundai achieved two years ahead of the government’s 2022 commitment.
Hyundai also reminds drivers and passengers to always wear seat belts, use appropriate child seats and focus on the journey.
Ford and ChromeData partners
Ford Motor Company and JD Power ChromeData, a leading provider of vehicle data and software solutions, announced an agreement to use Ford and Lincoln vehicle construction data for ChromeData VIN descriptions.
Ford and Lincoln vehicle build data provides OEM-related vehicle information from the moment a vehicle is manufactured, enabling more accurate insurance quotes, ultimately benefiting customers.
“We are committed to helping Ford and Lincoln customers get the most accurate insurance quotes for their vehicles. This is another way we bring value to our customers when they own a Ford or Lincoln,” said Amy Graham, director of marketing for services at Ford Motor Company.
Ford Manufacturing Data provides a comprehensive view of a vehicle’s features. When cross-referenced with ChromeData’s extensive vehicle catalogue, this information can provide accurate VIN descriptions – critical to insurance companies, dealers, financiers, marketers and appraisal services. This agreement gives ChromeData access to build data for approximately 80% of automotive brands sold in the US
“For nearly three decades, ChromeData has set the standard for the most accurate, up-to-date and complete vehicle data and content in the industry,” said Craig Jennings, president of Autodata Solutions at JD Power. “Ford vehicle build data not only expands the benefits of our services, but also provides dealers and other industry partners with a better understanding of what features ship with each Ford and Lincoln vehicle.”
Ansys Gateway by AWS
Ansys (NASDAQ: ANSS) announced the availability of Ansys Gateway powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), enabling customers to use popular Ansys products in a unique workspace on AWS – giving access to faster, more flexible and highly scalable Engineering solutions simplified. Ansys Gateway powered by AWS is available on the AWS Marketplace and allows customers to easily access, subscribe to, and configure Ansys applications from a single location. Customers also benefit from accelerated performance of Ansys applications enhanced on AWS.
Ansys Gateway powered by AWS provides on-demand access to Ansys applications and high-performance computing (HPC) resources in the cloud as part of a strategy aimed at making simulation software more affordable. Customers can manage and control cloud consumption and computer-aided design (CAD) / computer-aided engineering (CAE) costs on AWS while taking advantage of scalable hardware and compute capacity. This offering provides seamless cloud support for both Ansys applications and other popular CAE/CAD software. With control over their hybrid architecture, customers can bring their own licenses to Ansys Gateway powered by AWS and easily manage user access, permissions, data and security.
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With Ansys Gateway powered by AWS, customers get instant, intuitive access to Ansys applications. Customers can not only reduce time to market, but also reduce costs by only paying for cloud resources as they are used.
