Stellantis-Foxconn Venture Utilizes Siemens Tools

SiliconAuto, a joint venture of European car maker Stellantis and contract manufacturer Hon Hai Technology (Foxconn), has recently announced its adoption of the PAVE360 software from Siemens Digital Industries Software. This strategic move is aimed at reducing development time for the automotive chips designed and sold by SiliconAuto, particularly focusing on a family of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) chips for software-defined vehicles.

The collaboration with Siemens will provide SiliconAuto with a software development environment even before the availability of silicon hardware. By leveraging PAVE360, the company aims to accelerate its silicon development process, allowing potential customers to start developing applications at an earlier stage. This proactive approach is expected to streamline the overall development cycle and enhance the competitiveness of SiliconAuto in the automotive chip market.

ARM, a renowned processor core designer, already has an established partnership with Siemens for PAVE360, particularly for digital twin development. This further solidifies the credibility and effectiveness of the software in facilitating advanced chip design and development processes within the industry.

One of SiliconAuto's primary objectives is to establish a virtual reference development environment for its upcoming ADAS System on a Chip (SoC). Through the utilization of PAVE360, the company is constructing an automotive standards-based virtual development environment that integrates various tooling, models, virtual SoCs, and real-world inputs. This approach enables early software development and provides essential metrics for decision-making processes.

Shawn Tien, the vice president of sales and marketing at SiliconAuto, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with Siemens, stating, "SiliconAuto’s commitment to driving innovation in the automotive industry is exemplified by our collaboration with Siemens. By leveraging PAVE360, we are not just accelerating development but also paving the way for future-ready vehicles that meet the highest standards of safety and performance."

David Fritz, the vice president of Hybrid and Virtual Systems at Siemens Digital Industries Software, emphasized the importance of early software validation in the rapidly evolving automotive landscape. He highlighted the significance of proving, simulating, and iterating software capabilities well before the hardware is available, especially in the context of next-generation electric vehicles. Fritz commended SiliconAuto's decision to choose PAVE360 for pre-silicon software development, underscoring the software's role in enabling automotive industry leaders to expedite development processes and meet the evolving demands of modern vehicles.