The German group will join forces with the Franco-Italian semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics to develop its own electronic chips.
Like the majority of manufacturers, if not all, the Volkswagen group is facing a shortage of semiconductors, in a context where cars are more and more technological and, therefore, more and more equipped with these chips. electronics (SoC for system on a chip) have become indispensable.
Automakers today are dependent on many (mostly Asian) semiconductor companies, and the shortage isn’t just in the auto sector. That of smartphones, TVs, game consoles… All sectors are affected and are facing production difficulties, even if the tension seems to reduce slightly.
Volkswagen takes the bull by the horns
To cope with the shortage of semiconductors, which could last until 2024 according to the German group, Volkswagen wants to control its supply chain and has just teamed up with Franco-Italian chipmaker STMicroelectronics. The two companies will thus co-develop tailor-made chips and, in the long term, the German group will no longer be dependent on other companies.
Cariad, the software subsidiary of Volkswagen, said last May that it would partner with chipmaker Qualcomm for the development of its future software related to autonomous driving. Remember that Cariad is currently in turmoil with numerous delays, which will cause major upheavals in the launch schedule of certain Volkswagen group manufacturers, namely Audi, Porsche and Bentley.
Even if no figures have leaked concerning this agreement, STMicroelectronics will become one of Volkswagen’s main technological partners and undoubtedly one of the most important given the current context.
A chip specific to Volkswagen, like at Tesla
Cariad and STMicro will also design a new chip dedicated to the Volkswagen group. This will then be produced by the foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). STMicro’s press release states that ” the use of a common hardware architecture will allow CARIAD experts to develop a single basic software for all electronic control units (ECU), thus significantly reducing the level of complexity and development times“.
A good idea, when you know the phenomenal delay taken by Volkswagen and its subsidiary Cariad in the development of the software part of the brand’s future electric cars and which led to the hasty departure of the boss of the German group. Tesla fared better than its competitors during the semiconductor crisis precisely because the company designs its own chips and can therefore modify them to seek out other suppliers in record time.
“With the cooperation of ST and TSMC, we are actively shaping our entire semiconductor supply chain”said Murat Aksel, Volkswagen’s purchasing manager. “We are ensuring the production of the exact chips we need for our cars and securing the supply of semiconductors for years to come. »
Still, the shortage of semiconductors still weighs on the automotive market, where sales have collapsed in recent months. To make up for this loss of volumes, manufacturers favor the production of more expensive and therefore more profitable models to generate sufficient profits and thus compensate for the loss of volumes.
Encouraged by financial aid from the state, the American GlobalFoundries is going to build a chip production plant near Grenoble, in partnership with the Franco-Italian manufacturer STMicroelectronics, already established nearby.
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