Infineon, the No.1 Automotive Semiconductor Company, Unveils New Concept LPDDR Flash Memory

Overcoming NOR Flash Limits to Meet Electric Vehicle Demand
Applying 3.2GB Speed LPDDR4 Interface
"Will Grow Market Through Standardization of Automotive Memory"

Infineon Technologies, the leading company in automotive semiconductors from Germany, has introduced a new concept vehicle flash memory product to respond to the rapidly evolving demand for electric vehicles. By combining Low Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR) and flash memory technologies, the product aims to support vehicle functions that enhance safety through real-time responsiveness. Mass production of the new product is expected next year.

On the morning of the 9th, Infineon held a press briefing at Lotte Hotel World in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where it revealed the development background of the vehicle flash memory 'SEMPER X1 LPDDR' and its future mass production plans.

SEMPER X1 is a new concept product that combines the low power characteristics of LPDDR technology with flash memory. Infineon was the first in the industry to unveil it last month. The focus was on overcoming the performance limitations of NOR flash, a type of flash memory, alongside NAND flash.

Linus Wong, Director of Infineon Flash Solution Product Management, is introducing SEMPER X1 at a press conference on the 9th. / Photo by Infineon

Unlike NAND flash, which connects electronic circuits inside semiconductor chips in series, NOR flash has a parallel structure. While NAND flash excels in capacity expansion and write speed improvement, NOR flash offers faster read speeds. Its usage had declined as NAND flash dominated the mobile market, but demand has recently been increasing again.

Linus Wong, Director of Flash Solutions Product Management at Infineon, explained, "As all products, including the Internet of Things (IoT), become smarter, demand for NOR flash is increasing not only in automobiles but also across various industries. As future vehicles evolve, changes in systems (memory) are inevitable, and existing NOR flash cannot support this, which led to the introduction of SEMPER X1."

SEMPER X1 features an LPDDR4 interface with a speed of 3.2 gigabytes (GB) per second and a multi-bank architecture. This enhances performance by eight times compared to existing NOR flash. Random read transactions are 20 times faster. This can significantly aid in implementing in-vehicle functions in real time, which directly correlates to improved safety. A representative example is the airbag function, which must operate within milliseconds (1 millisecond is one-thousandth of a second). It can also be applied to other areas where immediate decision-making enhances safety, such as engine management and power control.

SEMPER X1 image / [Image courtesy of Infineon]

To introduce SEMPER X1, Infineon collaborated with several customers, including major suppliers in the automotive sector, from the development stage. The product will be mass-produced next year using a 40-nanometer (nm; 1 nm = one billionth of a meter) process through Taiwanese foundry company UMC. Plans are also underway to conduct standardization work with various suppliers. The company explains that as future vehicle systems such as electric vehicles evolve, demand for SEMPER X1 will inevitably increase.

Director Wong stated, "Unlike DRAM and NAND, which have high market volatility, SEMPER X1 will show stable and continuous growth. As a leader in NOR flash automotive memory, we will collaborate with partners to lead memory standardization and expand the market."

Infineon recorded a 12.4% market share in the automotive semiconductor market last year (according to market research firm TechInsights), ranking first. It also holds the top position domestically with a 16.2% market share. Recently, the company has been expanding its product lineup in the electric vehicle sector to grow its business opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.