[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] In light of the shortage of automotive semiconductors, there is a call to secure a leading position in the high-performance semiconductor market, such as APs (semiconductors that perform data computation and processing functions).
On the 12th, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute released a report titled 'Automotive Semiconductor Shortage, Need for Long-term Response,' stating that the future automotive semiconductor market is likely to be reorganized from being MCU (Microcontroller Unit)-centered to focusing on high-performance semiconductors like APs. The institute emphasized the necessity of government support so that Korean companies can explore opportunities in this new market.
The institute analyzed that the shortage of automotive semiconductors was caused by the automotive industry's failure in demand forecasting and unexpected natural disasters, with the most severely affected item being MCUs, which perform electronic control of vehicle systems.
It further explained that although Korea's automotive and semiconductor industries are each world-class, the automotive semiconductor market depends 98% on overseas sources, which exacerbated the situation.
The institute forecasted that while currently distributed processing-type electronic control units (ECUs) based on MCUs are installed (about 40 units per vehicle), in the next 5 to 6 years, the transition to electric and autonomous vehicles will accelerate, leading to the adoption of AP-based centralized high-performance controllers (about 3 units per vehicle).
Therefore, it emphasized that rather than entering the MCU-centered automotive semiconductor market, where strong global players are already established, Korean companies and the government should seek opportunities in the newly emerging AP market amid technological changes.
Ji-hyung Lee, a researcher at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, stated, "Automotive APs are related to life safety, requiring strict reliability verification and long development and testing periods, as well as upgrades for usage cycles exceeding 10 years, making government support essential." He added, "For suppliers to develop products that meet the demands of customers and successfully commercialize them, support for mass production performance evaluation and performance improvement is necessary to overcome the business discontinuity (Death Valley) in semiconductor development and mass production."
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