-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Automotive Technology: The Next Driving Force in Electronic Manufacturing
September 17, 2015 | Dan Feinberg, Technology Editor, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Many of us have lived through a series of electronic industry growth spurts: from radios to TV and then to high-definition home theater; from vinyl records to cassettes to DVDs; from simple four-function calculators to today’s powerful PCs; from Pong and Atari games to today’s X-Box, PlayStation and monster gaming computers. Each of these and other segments rely on advances in electronic technology design and manufacture and each of them spurs growth in the industry. One other such segment has also added to the scope of the industry and that segment is automotive electronics.
We started with AM and then FM radios, then full stereo systems complete with tape, then disk, then SSD storage; we added speed control then GPS, and then mapping. The higher-end vehicles now have collision and obstruction warning, back-up cameras, driver fatigue warning, maintenance and component failure warning and some have self-parking that actually works—well. But in the automotive segment, as the man once said, "You ain't seen nothing yet."
First of all, the devices we have come to expect in luxury and high-end vehicles are now becoming available and even common in lower priced ones. That alone will significantly increase automotive electronic device manufacture volume. The next wave, however, will dwarf what we have experienced to date. Soon, we will be considering the self-driving, fully connected and self-learning vehicle that is part of a network that teaches and learns from its peers. Controlling your own car in a traffic jam may soon become a thing of the past, and that is only the next step. The rapidly moving world of auto connectivity is moving more quickly than the typical four- to five-year development cycle of new cars. Because of this, carmakers cannot keep up with the overall development and progress regarding the capability and power of electronic components and systems. For years, automakers resisted this, but that’s changing. Industry experts say their surveys indicate most consumers think that's OK, as they want their car to act as an extension of their phone for music, contacts, navigation, and more.
As the I-Connect007 group has increased its consumer electronics coverage over the last year, we have come to realize that our readers are very interested in many aspects of the end-user market. Cell phones, tablets and PCs of course and now also drones, sports cams, etc., but also the new and rapidly advancing fields of advanced automotive electronics (and not just GPS and Bluetooth cell phone connectivity) are topics that have garnered a great deal of interest; but what is coming in automotive electronics has the potential to eventually dwarf them all. The road will be long, however, due to the life cycle of a vehicle being significantly longer than a cell phone or tablet. And yet, one has to ask how long before it is no longer cool to replace your phone every few years, but keep it over a reasonable life cycle just as you do your car.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of The PCB Magazine.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/03/2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007This week’s most important news is strategic—and telling. When one puts together the IPC industry reports, we simply have to include the recent conversation with Shawn DuBravac and Tom Kastner. On the design side, check out the latest “On The Line With…” podcast featuring Brad Griffin from Cadence Design Systems, discussing SI and PI in the realm of intelligent system design.
IMI Welcomes New CEO
05/03/2024 | IMIIntegrated Micro-Electronics, Inc. (IMI),The IMI Board of Directors announced, in a disclosure dated April 25, 2024, the appointment of Louis Sylvester Hughes, Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Gstar Announced the Strategic Move: Groundbreaking of Silicon Wafer Factory Construction in Indonesia
05/03/2024 | PRNewswireRecently, Gstar held a groundbreaking ceremony for its silicon rod and silicon wafer factory, marking the beginning of the rapid construction phase.
ZESTRON Academy Launches 2024 Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics Webinar Series
05/01/2024 | ZESTRONZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, proudly announces the launch of its highly anticipated webinar series on Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics, a webinar series on the latest innovations, cleaning, and corrosion challenges.
On the Line With… Talks With Cadence Expert on SI/PI for PCB Designers
05/02/2024 | I-Connect007In “PCB 3.0: A New Design Methodology—SI/PI for PCB Designers,” subject matter expert Brad Griffin, Cadence Design Systems, discusses how an intelligent system design methodology can move some signal and power integrity decision-making into the physical design space, offering real-time feedback.