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Anastasiya Sasnakevich

Implementing Safety and Security Features in Car Chip Design

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Cars contain more chips than before

Over the past decades, the use of electronic components in cars has increased dramatically. While in 1970, electronics made up only five percent of the total car, this share rose to 35 percent in 2010. An average electric car of today contains up to 3500 chips. It is almost 22 times more chips than a smartphone, 160 chips. (Source: European Council of the European Union). Moreover, cars are equipped with electronic systems that make our cars more advanced, and comfortable than ever before. Besides, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), car components can communicate with one another, as well as with other cars and devices. This creates a network of connected vehicles bringing new possibilities.

Chips Safety and security

Nevertheless, as electronics components became more widely used in vehicles in the last decade, their defects became more common as well. According to Statista, between 2009 and 2019, the number of vehicles recalled worldwide due to electronic components defects almost tripled. In 2019, nearly 15 million vehicles were recalled from the global market. Around 6.3 million of the vehicles withdrawn from the market were recalled due to software remedy issues. (Source: Statista) Consequently, more and more attention is paid to safety and security of nowadays automobiles.

Safety and security features in chip designs

When designing car chips, safety features are implemented. In the graphic below we see an increase in the number of IC/ASIC projects working under one of the multiple safety-critical development process standards or guidelines. (Source: Wilson Research Group) Within 2 years the need for safety critical design increased from 42 percent to 44 percent.

Safety critical designs by Wilson research - safety and security

The more complex the cars become, the more vulnerabilities that can be exploited to hack a car.

That is why many projects are also  implementing security features in their designs. Examples of security features include security assurance hardware modules (e.g., a security controller) that are designed to safely hold sensitive data, such as encryption keys, digital right management (DRM) keys, passwords, and biometrics reference data. These security features add requirements and complexity to the verification process. (Source: Wilson Research Group)

Chips design security features - safety and security

For those projects working under a safety-critical development process standard there is a specific breakdown for the various standards within this group. ISO 26262 safety standard for automotive makes 63 percent, the most safety-critical industry. (see the graphic below). It shows the complexity of automotive safety and the need to work harder to reach these standards and provide secure automobiles for everybody. (Source: Wilson Research Group)

Safety critical design projects - safety and security

Conclusion

In conclusion, the automotive semiconductor market has experienced remarkable growth in recent years. It is driven by advancements in vehicle technology and the increasing demand for safety and security features in automobiles. One of the most significant trends in this market is the emphasis on safety and security. With the proliferation of electronic control units (ECUs) and interconnected systems within modern vehicles, ensuring the safety and security of these components has become paramount. Automotive manufacturers and semiconductor companies are investing heavily in developing robust safety measures and cybersecurity protocols. It is done to protect vehicles from potential cyber threats and ensure passenger safety.

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Anastasiya Sasnakevich

Global Semiconductor Market Predictions and Trends for 2030

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Semiconductors make vital components of the nowadays technologies we can not see our lives without. The demand for semiconductors has grown immensely over the past few years. Organizations conduct researches evaluating current situation and providing their predictions for years to come.

In 2022 McKinsey & Company provided their predictions of the global semiconductor market value by vertical for 2030 (graphic 1 below). According to McKinse

y, the overall growth in the global semiconductor market is driven by the automotive (20%), data storage (25%), and wireless (25%) industries. This makes 70% which means these 3 industries are dominating the market.  (Source: McKinsey , 2022)

Automotive is the strongest-growing segment. According to McKinsey forecast, automotive electronics revenue will triple from $50 to $150 billion by 2030, fueled by applications such as autonomous driving and e-mobility.

Accounting for just 8 percent of semiconductor demand in 2021, the automotive industry could represent from 13 to 15 percent of demand by 2030. If this prediction comes true, the segment would be responsible for as much as 20 percent of industry expansion over the coming years.

Global semiconductor market value

Global semiconductor revenue

In April 2023 Gartner, another big research organization, forecasted that global semiconductor revenue is to decline 11.2% in 2023.

 In 2022, the market totaled $599.6 billion, which was marginal growth of 0.2% from 2021. Nevertheless, in 2024 it will catch up with the marginal growth of 18.5% and total mar

ket of $630.9 billion. Despite overall decline, both the automotive and industrial, military/civil aerospace semiconductor markets will achieve growth. The automotive semiconductor market is forecast to grow 13.8%, reaching $76.9 billion in 2023. (Source: Gartner)Global semiconductor revenue

 

Automotive semiconductor manufacturers market share worldwide

There is a number of automotive semiconductor manufacturers everyone in the industry knows. But do we actually know what is their market share? In 2022 Statista provided a report on the biggest automotive semiconductor manufacturers in the world and their market share in 2020-2021.

Global semiconductors - Automotive semiconductor manufacturers market share worldwide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Infineon, NXP, and Renesas were the leading automotive semiconductor manufacturers worldwide in 2021. Infineon’s market share was estimated at around 12.7 percent, NXP’s – 11,8 percent and Renesas’ – 8,4 percent making the total of 33,9% of the global market share.  The total market in 2021 was sized at around 46.7 billion U.S. dollars. These numbers include both, digital and analog chips.  (Source: Statista, 2023)

Conclusion

Despite supply chain disruption due to COVID19, leading to semiconductor shortages, semiconductor market is experiencing significant growth driven by increasing demand for semiconductors across various industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, and data centers. We see that semiconductor technologies are advancing, with the development of smaller and more efficient chips, possibly pushing the boundaries of Moore’s Law. Driven by the digitalization trends over the past few years, the demand for semiconductor solutions is significant. Where automotive semiconductors is one of the strongest-growing submarkets.  Read more about automotive semiconductors in our blog.

The big six and EU in the global supply chain of semiconductor production
Anastasiya Sasnakevich

The Big Six and Europe’s Place in the Global Value Chain of Semiconductor Production

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2021 was a challenging year for semiconductor manufacturers. Especially in the automotive industry, as car manufacturers faced a severe shortage of semiconductor chips critical to the functioning of modern cars. This resulted in leaving cars stranded at factories waiting for their chips to be supplied. The chip shortage in 2021 was a wake-up call for the automotive industry, highlighting the need for a more resilient supply chain. Governments around the world are now taking steps to address this issue by investing in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which is expected to reduce the dependence on foreign suppliers and ensure a steady supply of chips in the future.

2022 was a crucial year for the semiconductor industry. The global semiconductor supply chain includes six big key players: China, Japan, Taiwan, the USA, South Korea, and the EU. The Big Six are shaping their policies, pouring investment in R&D to boost the manufacturing of semiconductors, which takes the central role in the sectors guiding the ongoing digital revolution: autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, industry 4.0, 5G/6G communications, and the internet of things.

The EU takes a significant place in the global value chain of semiconductor manufacturing. Unfortunately, over the past 20 years, we saw a great decline in Europe’s share in global chip manufacturing. According to consulting firm Kearney, it has dropped from 25% in 2000 to 8% today. An even more drastic decline has occurred in advanced semiconductor technology, with Europe’s market share falling from 19% in 2000 to zero today. As a result, European governments, the EU including, are taking ambitious investment plans to support their countries’ semiconductor production. The graphic below shows the main policies taken by the world’s top six to support their semiconductor production from the period of 2015 until 2022.

Semiconductor policies in the world’s top six

Semiconductor policies in the world’s top six

(Source: Optima Design Automation)

Due to the huge demand for semiconductors, Europe is making a significant push in investment to increase its competitiveness in the global market. The EU’s push into semiconductors is also driven by the increasing competition from other regions, particularly the United States, China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

In February 2022 the European Chips Act was announced by the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to it, €15 billion was added to the existing €30 billion in public investments to create new STEM-focused programs, attract new talent to Europe, and build new infrastructure. Europe has the ambition to reach at least 20% of the world’s production  of cutting-edge and sustainable semiconductors by 2030, building on its strengths in research and equipment manufacturing, analog chip design and low-power technology.

Europe’s strategy to retain and strengthen its semiconductor industry comes at a time when other nations and regions are also upping their game. The proposed CHIPS for America Act seeks to re-shore semiconductor production. China’s updated Five-Year Plan (2021 – 2025) is focused on strengthening China’s economic foundations through the support of technology and innovation, and the semiconductor industry is a key focus of this effort. South Korea is also investing in supply chains and technological R&D. The investments and policy actions of these and other countries reveal a growing recognition of the strategic importance of the semiconductor industry in shaping the economic growth, competitiveness, and security of nations and regions.

European semiconductor industry in an economic context

The EU interest in semiconductors has increased dramatically in recent years given their role in the functioning of the modern economy. Big companies boosted from 438 billion EUR in 2005 to over 2.5 trillion EUR in 2021 with an average yearly increase of over 30% in the last five years. Moreover, in 2021 there was a record upsurge of +53.7% compared to 2020. (Source: Thomson Reuters, Data-stream)

It is important to point out semiconductor’s distribution in the European economic context. The European market is known for its strength in the automotive (37%) and industrial (25%) sectors (figure below). Consequently, interesting growth potentials may arise for the EU semiconductor market. Among Europe’s strengths, it has the three largest IDMs (Integrated Device Manufacturers) or fabs – STMicroelectronics, Infineon and NXP; dynamic start-ups and the world’s leading research centers in nanoelectronics – CEA-Leti, Fraunhofer, IMEC and C.N.R.S. Yet, despite all the mentioned above strengths, Europe still lacks world-leading fabless firms.

Segment distribution in the region (2019)

(Source: ZVEI: Die Elektroindustrie, 2021)

Political framework of semiconductors in Europe

Due to their strategic importance, semiconductors gained increased political attention worldwide in the past few years. As a result, governments and policymakers focus on the importance of this industry, recognizing its critical role in technological advancement and economic growth.

About 75% of the world semiconductor manufacturing capacity is concentrated in East Asia and China (Taiwanese TSMC makes 53% of the global market share, South Korea’s Samsung – 16,3%, and Taiwanese UMC – 5,7%) . Asia is a rich supplier of key materials such as silicon wafers, photoresist and other chemicals, which makes countries like Taiwan, South Korea and China the leaders in semiconductor manufacturing. Therefore, the world is dependent on this region. According to Boston Consulting Group, it would take more than 30 years and € 350 billion in investment to replace Taiwanese foundries with other foundries. Consequently, governments are more concerned about the dependence on foreign sources for semiconductors, as this dependence can create risks for national security and economic competitiveness.

In conclusion, the increased political attention on semiconductors reflects their growing importance in the global economy and technology landscape. Governments and policymakers are focusing on the need to ensure stable and secure supplies, as well as to support the development of new technologies. According to a study by SIA and the Boston Consulting Group, ‘global demand for semiconductor manufacturing capacity is projected to increase by 56% by 2030’. As this long-term trend continues in the years ahead and demand for chips rises, semiconductor companies need to invest in more research, design, and manufacturing. The question is not whether more chip manufacturing facilities, or fabs, will be built, but rather where they will be built. And this is where Europe has a big potential.

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autonomous vehicle image
Anastasiya Sasnakevich

Autonomous vehicle market: from $0 to $54 billion in 50 years

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Today, on May 31st we celebrate Autonomous Vehicle Day. We would like to spread some light on the history of AVs, their development, and investment.

Not everyone knows that the first autonomous vehicle was unveiled in 1977 in Japan. A Japanese professor Sadayuki Tsugawa together with his colleagues at Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Lab launched the first-ever autonomous car. It could achieve the speed of nearly 20 miles per hour by tracing white street markers via two vehicle-mounted cameras.

So, here we are, 55 years later talking about self-driving cars as a new normal. The world in 2022 has changed a great deal. It is full of technology, which is making our lives easier and more comfortable.

As of March 2022, the global AV market is worth $54 billion. A number of big AV companies like Tesla, Uber, Waymo, and more, are trying to grab a piece of the pie. Traditional car manufacturers, including Volvo, Ford, General Motors, Mercedes Benz, and Hyundai, have also joined the fray. As mentioned earlier, the autonomous car market is estimated to be worth $54 billion. And it is expected to increase tenfold in the next 5 to 7 years with constant investment.

Investment in autonomous vehicles

More and more money has been poured into the development of AVs:

  • From August 2014 to June 2017 a total of nearly $80 billion was invested in AV by the auto industry and venture capitals. (source: Brookings Institution)
  • In the first 3 quarters of 2018, global investors provided $4.2 billion to companies working on self-driving cars (source: Axios)
  • In June 2021 General Motors announced its decision to boost EV and AV by investing $35 billion by 2025;
  • A German brand Audi is planning to invest $16 billion in self-driving cars by 2023;

The investment numbers are growing every year. In October 2020 McKinsey & Company published a report where it showed that during 10 years (from 2010 till 2020) one-third of car investment went to autonomous-vehicle technologies.

investment in autonomous vehicle during the past 10 years

According to their report (the chart below), the companies have poured large sums into the semiconductor cluster over the past decade. $51.5 billion invested representing nearly 50% of all autonomous investments. The next biggest cluster is ADAS components with $35.8. It makes 33% of the autonomous investments. The numbers are quite interesting and show the impact of each cluster on the development of autonomous vehicles.

investment in mobility by cluster

The Semiconductor cluster represents a special, and probably the most important niche in the AVs. A lot of attention is devoted to safety and security, as people are 100% dependent on the machine with all the embedded chips. That’s why ISO 26262, a Functional Safety standard, is a must-obtain in the automotive industry. Optima Design Automation, as a Functional Safety development provider, will help you meet the ISO 26262 standard. By leveraging breakthrough technology, Optima is revolutionizing automotive IC development. It provides next-generation solutions that allow engineering teams to deliver automotive ICs in a fraction of the time. Its revolutionary fault simulation delivers order-of-magnitude execution acceleration and, when coupled with its automated ASIL-C/D safety block conversion, shrinks, schedules and transforms quality.

Conclusion

In conclusion, just over 50 years ago, we had no idea that our future would change so much. Self-driving cars were science fiction at the time. Now, this is our reality and we should do everything possible to make this reality not just affordable but safe and secure.

 

ask the experts - question section
Sesha Sai Kumar

Ask the Expert: Reducing the Single Point Failure Count with Optimal Turnaround Time

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Some designs have multiple Safety Mechanisms for failure detection. As practice shows, one of the Safety Mechanisms needs to be set as a detection point, fault simulation is to be performed. Despite a significant amount of fault simulations there will probably be some Single Point Faults (SPFs) that are not covered by the particular safety mechanism. These require experimentation with more detection points, increasing the number of simulations and time to results. This is quite time-consuming and resource intensive. So how can one effectively reduce SPF count with faster turnaround time?

What does Optima have to say about Single Point Faults?

Talking about ISO 26262, Single Point Faults are faults that violate the safety goal and do not have any safety mechanism covering them. SPFs will still be seen despite the safety mechanisms available in the design. One of the reasons for this can be that the identified detection strobes are not complete, or more than one safety mechanism is required.

Most of the EDA tools available in the market for Functional Safety (FuSa) verification require simulation to find potential SPFs. This increases simulation time and, as a result, time to market.

The Optima Safety Platform™ (OSP™) introduces a revolutionary technology through our integrated core engines exclusively for fault analysis, making this task very easy. Optima-SA™, the Static Analysis Engine from the OSP™, is designed to analyse failure modes and faults and deduce SPFs without simulation. Along with the SPFs, Diagnostic Coverage (DC) can be determined in zero time. Optima’s Coverage Maximiser, Optima-CM™, then performs static checks to understand the best safety mechanism/detection point to include in the analysis that can detect a failure.

The OSP™ Safety Setup captures the Failure Mode of the design as follow:

  1. Failure Strobes: Internal or primary output signals at which a fault can manifest as a failure.
  2. Detection Strobes: Safety Mechanism signals at which a fault can be detected.

 

Failure Mode graphic by Optima

Image 1: Failure Mode of the design

Unlike other EDA tool setups, the OSP™ safety setup does not require fault locations to be specified. Cone of Influence (COI) analysis is performed by Optima-SA™ to specifically find the relevant faults for further analysis. The following fault categories are identified after SA, as depicted in the picture below.

Fault categories graphic by Optima

Image 2: Fault Categories

Faults categories:

·         SI ➡ SAFE INVISIBLE 

SAFE: NOT Observed at Failure Strobe

INVISIBLE: NOT Observed at Detection Strobe

 

 ·         UI ➡ UNSAFE INVISIBLE No Safety Mechanism (SPF)

UNSAFE: Observed at Failure Strobe

INVISIBLE: NOT Observed at Detection Strobe

 
·         SV ➡ SAFE VISIBLE 

SAFE: NOT Observed at Failure Strobe

VISIBLE: Observed at Detection Strobe

 

 ·         UV ➡ UNSAFE VISIBLE Possible Detects (Diagnostic Coverage)

UNSAFE: Observed at Failure Strobe

VISIBLE: Observed at Detection Strobe

 

One way to reduce the SPF is to see if other failure modes defined for the design cover the SPF faults of the current analysis. Optima-SA™ allows the merging of several safety setups (failure modes) which in turn shows the percentage of changed faults in each category, based on the new merged safety setup. By merging the COI, the combined failure and detection strobe effect are analysed. The diagram below shows the effect of the merging process.

the merging process of detection strobes and failure strobes

Image 3: The merging process

FM1 has an F1 fault as UI (SPF) and an F2 fault as UV (Potentially Detectable). By merging with FM2, the new detection strobe DM2 covers both F1 and F2. So in the merged Safety Setup F1, which was UI (SPF), has been changed to UV (Possible Detect).

The OSP™ has an automated way to cover the UI (SPF ) faults to reduce the number of single point faults. Optima-CM™ (Coverage Maximiser) runs in both static and dynamic analysis. In Static Analysis, we can use the Optima-CM™ static capability to find the Safety Mechanism’s detection strobes. Once the analysis is performed, it reports detection signals in descending order, to cover the maximum faults by making that particular signal a detection strobe in the Optima Safety Setup.

Conclusion

Single point faults have to be reduced as a first step in Functional Safety Verification. This ensures that there are a minimal number of faults without any safety mechanism. The OSP™ revolutionary technology allows users to experiment with different safety mechanisms in the DUSA (“Design Under Safety Assessment”, shown in image 2) and choose the method to reduce SPFs.

 

Anastasiya Sasnakevich

Vehicle Security Vulnerabilities or What to Know About Automotive Cyber Attacks

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The world as we know it is changing every day. Over the past five years passenger vehicles have experienced a massive increase in connectivity, and the trend will only continue to grow with the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and increasing consumer demand for all-connectivity. Cars have practically turned into giant smartphones on wheels surfing the roads of big cities. As a result, unfortunately, this opens a lot of possibilities for hackers, allowing them to gain access to critical systems remotely using wireless connections. So, if you ask yourself whether your car can be hacked and stopped while driving 100 km per hour, the answer is – YES! Looking back at the famous Jeep Cherokee hacking incident in 2015, it has brought massive attention from the press, the governments and consumers who were appalled by the incident. This has made car manufactures take security seriously.

So, what are the vulnerabilities that criminals can exploit to hack a car?

Let’s have a look at some surprising example weak points that hackers can use to get access to your car.

Security weak points

  • Disabling brakes. You may think that you are in control of the brakes because you are physically in the car. Actually, it’s microprocessors in your onboard computer that send the signal that make your brakes work. Imagine hackers gaining access to your car’s onboard computer; they can manipulate the brakes and even stop the car. Moreover, this can cause tragic and even fatal consequences when driving on a highway or crowded road. For example, in 2010 a couple of security researchers showed that they could hack a Chrysler Jeep to hijack its brakes and transmission. Within just a few days Chrysler recalled over 1.4 million vehicles.
  • Tire pressure monitoring system. Tire pressure monitoring systems tell drivers when their vehicle’s tires pressure is too low or too high, offering helpful early warnings to get service. But when attacked, hackers can trigger warning lights and remotely track vehicles through the monitoring system.
  • Manipulating vehicle diagnostics. Repair shops and dealerships today largely rely on onboard vehicle diagnostics systems to perform the initial diagnosis of problems. Unfortunately, unscrupulous shops can manipulate your diagnostics system to make it appear that you need them to perform unnecessary repairs. That’s why it is important to use reputable trustworthy shops to avoid being tricked into unnecessary spending. In 2010 an angry employee hacked and disabled over 100 cars in Texas as revenge on his employer.
  • Radio and GPS destination. Having access to your car system, hackers can manipulate your radio by switching it on/off, changing songs and radio stations. It can be quite scary. Or simply changing your GPS destination. It can sound like a naughty trick, but this can have serious consequences. For instance, one recent hack used a drone to access a Tesla infotainment system, from which they achieved access to the entire car.
  • Air conditioning and heat control. Imagine driving on a cold winter day and suddenly being blasted by cold air with no ability to stop it. Not a very nice feeling at all, don’t you think? While this may seem less harmful, it may distract you while driving, thus causing an accident.
  • MP3 malware. The music you listen to in your car stereo can actually hack your vehicle. No kidding! Downloaded music with malware can get into your car’s infotainment system and make its way into other systems, including those that control your engine or brakes. So be aware of the consequences when downloading something from unknown sources.
  • Extended key fob range. Nowadays key fobs unlock vehicles when a person holding a fob is standing close to the vehicle. Nevertheless, car thieves can extend the key fob range with radio repeaters and unlock your car door when you are up to 30 feet away. Another well-known hack allows a Tesla Model X to be stolen with a simple Bluetooth arrangement. A piece of cake!
  • Smartphone access. Smartphones connected to your car can be at risk, should hackers get into your vehicle’s system and find your connected mobile phone. In this case, they may gain access to your credit card information, passwords and financial data. Actually, the situation with smartphones can have a dual meaning. As smartphones can open doors for hacking your vehicle, as well as your hacked vehicle can lead to stealing sensitive data from your connected phone.
  • Critical driving functions. Extra vulnerabilities open for hackers include control over the steering wheel, digital readouts for speed and fuel consumption, and the horn.

Conclusion

To sum up, as vehicles become more integrated into the IoT, the demand for security is growing. Security should be considered during development and not after the fact. Security architects and researchers should be involved to implement security measures. And automotive companies should understand that if applications for their cars can be exploited by hackers, this will have a negative impact and loss of reputation.

80% of cyberattacks happen at the application layer. Meanwhile, 90% of the IT security budget is spent on solving other security issues. Which leaves only 10% of the budget on application security contributing to 80% of the attacks. This needs to change!