Samsung Collaborates with US AI Semiconductor Company on 5nm Production for Autonomous Vehicles

Production of Latest Ambarella SoC for ADAS Integration

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] Samsung Electronics is expanding its foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) business by producing semiconductors for autonomous vehicles of a U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor company using advanced processes.

On the 21st, Samsung Electronics announced that it will produce Ambarella's latest system-on-chip (SoC) 'CV3-AD685' for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) using its 5-nanometer (nm, one billionth of a meter) foundry process. By integrating automotive-dedicated IP, packaging technology, and know-how, it manufactures high-performance, low-power semiconductors for autonomous vehicles.

The CV3-AD685 is equipped with Ambarella's next-generation AI engine (CVflow) and serves as the brain of autonomous vehicles. It independently judges and controls driving situations input from cameras and radar. Through Samsung Electronics' advanced 5nm process, AI performance has improved more than 20 times compared to the previous generation.

Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus view / Photo by Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics expects that in collaboration with Ambarella, it will be able to elevate the safety level of next-generation driver-assistance systems based on high-performance, low-power AI semiconductors in the autonomous vehicle sector to a new level. Shim Sangpil, Vice President of Samsung Electronics' Foundry Business Division, said, "Samsung Electronics' advanced 5nm process brings unprecedented performance improvements to autonomous vehicles," adding, "We look forward to many automotive industry customers experiencing the outstanding performance of the CV3-AD SoC."

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics plans to strengthen its foundry process technology leadership by expanding its latest 4nm process to automotive applications and continuously increasing new customers in the autonomous vehicle field. By 2027, it aims to raise the revenue share of non-mobile product lines in its foundry business to over 50%.