Automotive Ethernet Technology

“Automotive Ethernet” is not a new concept, with many solutions introduced as early as 2015 or even earlier. How does ethernet technology in the automotive industry differ from the usual ethernet technology we generally know about?

The main aspects that drove automotive companies to adopt Ethernet technology was a reduction in wiring, to a single balanced pair of wires, and reliability. Automotive Ethernet semiconductor products are built to withstand the stringent environmental requirements of the automotive industry and include the documentation necessary for system builders to be ISO 26262 Functional Safety compliant.

Above the physical layer connections, automotive Ethernet uses the same frame structure and communication mechanisms as standard Ethernet, including all security features offered by this mature technology. This is what makes automotive Ethernet attractive.

From your understanding, at what level/stage is automotive ethernet development currently at?

Like most automotive technologies, automotive Ethernet was first deployed in higher-end, feature-rich car models. It is now being deployed to mass-market models and is seeing rapid adoption in the industry. Since Ethernet is very mature, and only the physical layer changed for use in the vehicle, carmakers can take advantage of the knowledge gained over the past 50 years that Ethernet has been used for a myriad of applications.

What is the current stance of automotive companies towards automotive ethernet technology? What are the differences between EV companies and traditional automotive manufacturers in terms of their perspectives/outlook and willingness to adopt automotive ethernet technology?

Most carmakers are either deploying Ethernet or are evaluating it for use in their next-generation vehicles. Ethernet makes up the fundamental communication backbone of the vehicle and is not strictly related to whether the vehicle uses electric motors or an internal combustion engine. Ethernet allows carmakers to move from centralized, hardware-driven architectures that require gateways and translation of data to go between various domains of the vehicle, to a more distributed, zonnal architecture. This architecture makes data from all parts of the vehicle accessible to various computing platforms in standardized Ethernet communication frames so functions can be software-defined. This architecture allows more sophisticated systems and makes diagnostics, maintenance and troubleshooting easier. It also enhances security since well-understood authentication and cryptological systems used for Ethernet are used, instead of having to develop new systems from scratch.

Automotive ethernet technology was expensive and generally regarded as a luxury car feature in the past. Do you think this has changed significantly? If so, is the cost reduction due to the chip or is the system cost (including camera, display etc.) lower now? What is Microchip’s role in this process?

Automotive Ethernet was not really more expensive than other high-bandwidth technologies. It just took time to migrate from systems that were optimized for specific, independent functions, to more flexible, software-oriented architectures that need a common communication mechanism. This migration is necessary to take advantage of having information available everywhere and using distributed computing to implement various systems. In the past, each vehicle domain evolved independently of other systems and used hardware optimized for one specific function. Today, the vehicle is partitioned into zones that communicate with each other to coordinate what the vehicle needs to do. Software has taken over many functions and hardware is more generic.

The main advantages of automotive ethernet include high speed and high bandwidth data transmission while significantly reducing weight and cost. With the development/trend of smart/autonomous driving, what do you think are the main reasons to further drive automotive ethernet technology development in the future?

Actually, the advantages of Ethernet are not so much in high speed, but rather in the scalability that it provides to provide the bandwidth needed for specific functions. Some sensors and actuators only need a few kbits/s of bandwidth while more sophisticated vision systems may need Gbits/s. The beauty of Ethernet is that the format of the data, the Ethernet frame, is the same regardless of the speed. For example, you can use a 10Mbit/s link for the sensors, connect to a simple switch to aggregate many 10 Mbit streams to higher bandwidths, and use the same switch for video streams or infotainment data that needs more speed. Microchip recently introduced the LAN8670/1/2 family of automotive-qualified 10BASE-T1S Ethernet devices, which make it possible to connect low-speed devices that previously required their own communication systems into a standard Ethernet system in automotive applications.  Microchip was a key contributor in the development of the standards with IEEE for the automotive-qualified 10BASE-T1S technology. This technology simplifies system design by expanding the reach of Ethernet to the devices that are typically at the very edge of the network.

Another important benefit of Ethernet is the ability to authenticate participants in a network and encrypt the information flowing over the network. Ethernet has long been used for all types of communications. Secure, well-understood and tested systems exist. Other technologies would require the security infrastructure to be developed and would not have nearly the worldwide ecosystem constantly looking out for and solving the latest threats discovered.

Though the probability of potential safety hazards in-vehicle network is relatively low, the possibility still exists. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to ethernet hardware interface security, software, network security etc. How does Microchip contribute to ensuring security in these areas?

Microchip’s security business develops and deploys security products called CryptoAutomotive™ ICs for use in automotive and non-automotive applications. In this arena, the logistics of provisioning security is just as hard as designing the electronics that implement it. Microchip has expertise in both arenas. It has developed tamper-proof semiconductor products to implement various standards-based security protocols. They can be used to authenticate devices that talk to each other to make sure they belong in the car. They can also encrypt the information flowing between network participants. Microchip also has secure logistics systems to insert keys and certificates of trust for its customers that ensure the whole manufacturing process of these cryptographic devices is secure. These logistics prevent any customer secrets from getting intercepted before they ever make it into a vehicle.

Not only does Microchip offer ethernet in automotive networks, it also combines it with PCIe and ASA to form solutions. What is the rationale behind this approach and what advantages does this combined portfolio offer to customers/users?

PCIe® and serializers/deserializers (the subjects of ASA – the Automotive SERDES Alliance) provide even higher speed links than Ethernet has. All these technologies are complementary to each other. Microchip has expertise in these various areas and can help customers optimize their systems to combine them into the most feature-rich and cost-effective solutions.