NAND flash device controller specialist Phison Electronics has had its solutions pass ISO 26262 automotive functional safety and development process certification, and is looking to expand its presence in the global automotive storage market, according to the Taiwan-based company.

Phison cited data from the world's leading automotive memory and car manufacturers indicating that the NAND storage capacity required by each car will rise to 1-4TB in the next 10 years, providing a major growth opportunity for the NAND storage sector. The company is optimistic that the ISO 26262 certification will significantly drive up its shipments of automotive storage controllers and expand presence in the market segment.

Based on another market research data, annual global car sales reach 70-90 million units, and many NAND storage devices are currently used in the vehicles, with most of them still adopted for small-capacity applications including car navigation, driving recorders, digital electronic instrument panels, electronic center consoles and audio-visual equipment, the company said. But the trend will change with the development of driving assistance systems and autonomous vehicles, it added.

Phison has been engaged in the automotive storage sector for over 10 years and is now the world's top vendor of automotive eMMC controller chips, which are widely applied to in-vehicle infotainment and cockpit displays and ADAS systems, among others.

The company currently has a full range of automotive storage solutions, including eMMC, BGA SSD, UFS, and SD/microSD. Its solutions have all passed the AEC-Q100 certifications, its firmware design has been incorporated into the Automotive SPICE process, and its contract manufacturer has won the IATF16969 certification. This, coupled with the latest ISO 26262 certification, will enable the company to roll out most complete and reliable automotive storage solutions, Phison stressed.

Phison CEO KS Pua said that in response to specific requirements and regulations concerning the automotive market, such as long client validation processes of 1-2 years and longer, long-term supply contracts of over 10 years, and extremely product stability standards, the company has to, from the very beginning, design its automotive storage solutions totally from the perspective of automotive applications to ensure that the solutions can fully meet the needs of automotive clients.

Pua continued that Phison has also established a set of safety mechanism for its automotive products, aiming to detect impending failures and notify vehicle owners in advance. He stressed that through its strong R&D and customization prowess, the company is committed to satisfying the needs of global automotive storage clients to jointly embrace the coming era of autonomous and electric vehicles.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved