How Infineon Builds Trust Through Dependable Electronics

Dependability means scalability. Because if it’s broken, how can you scale? In the race for “who’s first” in the autonomous EV space, Infineon’s approach vastly differs from the competition. To explain our unique approach and capabilities, we asked Bill Stewart, Senior Director Vehicle Automation and Chassis at Infineon, to give us a breakdown of Infineon’s Dependability campaign.

Consumers trust reliability. Through our dependable electronics, Infineon is on the path to enabling reliable automotive quality, functional safety, and cybersecurity for future autonomous vehicles, earning the trust of hesitant drivers. Read on for Bill’s overview of Infineon’s Dependability campaign, its impact on the automotive industry, and how it bolsters trust with our clients.

We recognize the rising trend in long-range autonomous electric vehicles, as more and more companies race to transform the automotive industry. However, Bill remarks that rather than racing to be the first to market, building trust and dependability with hesitant consumers is our core focus at Infineon. This is because moving fast tends to break things, as seen with autopilot crashes and battery fires in recent years: “This mindset has led to a transition in priorities with our automotive projects, as we prioritize reliability over speed.” 

This central focus on reliability is exactly why customers choose Infineon to build out their vehicles. With our help, car manufacturers can reach quality beyond the standards, provide reliable safety measures, and reach new heights of auto cybersecurity - while earning their customer’s trust in the process.

At Infineon, our measurement of quality is one-of-a-kind. Just take it from Bill: “We measure quality in parts-per-billion from a failure rate, at a volume of just under 100 parts per billion, while other manufacturers measure tens or hundreds of parts per million.” 

This is a testament to Infineon’s global scale, as well as our high-volume consistency in automotive quality thanks to a “zero defect mindset.” While more parts typically means more room for error, we at Infineon see it as a challenge worth taking.

When your car breaks, whether it be a physical malfunction or a breakdown in software, can your vehicle detect it? What mechanisms are in place to inform you of those malfunctions, and are there any back-up systems available to keep things running? 

According to Bill, these are the questions that drive functional safety, a core component of Infineon’s dependable electronics. “Our dependable electronics are essential components for vehicles to be ISO26262-compliant and meet ISO26262-ready classifications.” Along with providing the tech to meet these compliance standards, Infineon’s approach to functional safety prioritizes lower costs for dependable semiconductors that deliver safer levels of automated driving.

The transition to autonomous vehicles is sure to bring a new level of functionality and convenience to drivers - but will likely usher in a new form of cyberattacks. Bill notes that cybersecurity is an absolute necessity for all safety-critical applications of modern vehicles, alongside the chassis, powertrain, energy management, and more. 

To close this vulnerability, Infineon enables truly secure vehicle architecture and protected data exchange between on-board systems, other vehicles, and the infrastructure. Thanks to a partnered consumer group, Infineon has a security IP capable of wireless ID authentication - serving to protect autonomous vehicles from cyberthreats.

While it’s easy to assume the engine is the foundation of your vehicle, semiconductors are the true bedrock of automotive quality, safety, and cybersecurity. They’re responsible for all the systems in your vehicle, but those systems need constant scaling before a truly safe autonomous electric vehicle can be deployed. 

To reach this goal, Infineon enables the autonomous and EV industry by providing dependable electronics that consumers can place their full trust in.

When I was looking for a new job around five years ago, I knew I wanted to stay in electronics while working on autonomous solutions. I looked for leading companies in the field that would enable the autonomous transition, which is why I joined Infineon. This is one of many reasons I joined, and working here has far exceeded my expectations.

Does our work pique your interest? Visit our website for more of our innovative projects and testaments from Infineon employees.