Renesas benefits from Japan's edge in electromobility

Renesas is one of the leading semiconductor providers to the automotive industry. But which forces do currently drive the technology in this market? EE Times Europe talked to Jurgen Axmacher, Director, Standards & Compliance at Renesas Europe's Automotive Business Group.

By Christoph Hammerschmidt, Mar. 22, 2017 – 

With about 40% of the company's total revenue accounting for automotive-related products, the global car industry is of the utmost importance for Renesas. With such a standing in the automotive market, the Japan-based chipmaker as well as its European subsidiary have deep insights into the technology trends that define future product generations. In line with the general trend in the automotive industry, Renesas is focusing on three major technology fields - autonomous driving, vehicle connectivity and electromobility. "Autonomous driving is currently driven by stimuli from the development of electromobility", Axmacher observed.

This view might have something to do with Renesas being of Japanese origin and having its strongest market position in that country, where the world's largest carmaker, Toyota, is one of Renesas' electromobility customers. Generally spoken, electric vehicles are more popular in Japan than in Europe and North America, Axmacher says. The reason: The Japanese society is rather urban-centric and therefore the driving range is not such a paramount issue than elsewhere. Renesas' contribution to electromobility includes motor control chips. Here, the company currently holds a market share of 10%, but intends to crank this figure up to 30% by 2025. "The Intersil acquisition will greatly contribute to this increase", Axmacher said.

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