Renesas Electronics Simplifies Automotive Functional Safety and Security with Development Support Program

TOKYO, Japan, January 13, 2015 — Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, is easing the design complexity for sophisticated automotive systems with its new “Safety and Security Support Program for Automotive”, contributing to a safe and secure driving experience. Designed to reduce the burden on system manufacturers, the new initiative simplifies the implementation of functional safety and security features through an integrated package solution that incorporates ISO26262-certified Renesas automotive semiconductor products, software, analytic tools, work products, instruction, consulting, and more.

Functional safety and security are indispensable for reducing risk factors associated with the reliability and safety of autonomous driving systems. Autonomous emergency braking, automatic tracking, and other operation support systems require more sophisticated automotive electronic control units (ECUs) with higher performance to support the higher control functionality. Likewise, self-driving vehicle control requires complex electronic systems, while at the same time achieving a high level of safety.

The vehicle control required for self-driving vehicles must work cooperatively with infrastructure information from external sources, such as other vehicles and traffic signals, so communication with the vehicle’s surroundings becomes an important factor. With this communication comes new security considerations. Greater awareness of the security risks associated with these types of external vehicle communications is driving a global move toward standardization. The new security standards incorporate elements such as threat analysis and risk analysis, and achieving compliance is expected to impose an increasing development burden moving forward.

With the achievement of the ISO 26262 international functional safety standard for electric and electronic automotive systems, the associated development burden on system manufacturers has increased by approximately 40 to 50 percent (Renesas estimate). It requires several actions in addition to non-safety and security actions, including constructing a safety concept, quantitative and qualitative safety analysis, and confirmation measures. There is also a move to develop the second edition of the ISO 26262 standard, which will result in additional requirements and further development burden increase on manufacturers.

To address the growing demands on system manufacturers to implement these complex systems, Renesas has launched the Safety and Security Support Program for Automotive as a new type of solution that leverages the company’s core expertise in functional safety and security technology to achieve a new level of automotive safety and security, including reducing the development burden, while contributing to the early realization of self-driving vehicles. The program will cover Renesas’ automotive semiconductor products, beginning with a solution for body systems employing the RH850 Family of microcontrollers (MCUs). The first offering will be available from January 30, 2015.

Key Features of the Safety and Security Support Program for Automotive:

• (1) Tools drawing on Renesas’ proven track record and superior expertise in safety and security threat analysis

  Renesas has compiled a database of use cases derived from the company’s automotive experiences and insights as the global automotive semiconductor market leader, and its unmatched expertise in device development.

  The program will utilize this database to provide system manufacturers with tools, matched to the system configuration, for safety and security threat analysis that provides a safer driving experience. This will enable customers to easily apply the optimized architecture demanded by standards requirements to their development process, reducing the amount of compliant work needed for safety analysis and security threat analysis.

• (2) Software closely linked to hardware to support system development

  The program provides support that makes it easy to develop diagnostic software for aspects that are tightly bound to the hardware, enabling the customer to build systems that meet hardware safety and security requirements. Specifically, it provides software for implementing CPU self-diagnostics, miscellaneous diagnostics, and security functions.

  In addition, when considering automotive security, safety application notes and safety analysis provide a variety of correlations and enhance affinity with the development process. The customer can easily develop diagnostic and other software needed to build a system, simply by following these analysis procedures. This means that their attention can then be focused on tasks such as application software development.

• (3) Bundled work products incorporating Renesas’ unmatched expertise in functional safety and security

  The Renesas team includes more than 150 qualified functional safety managers and reviewers with abundant expertise in product development. To address security, Renesas has a number of experts with extensive knowledge of IC cards, etc., and the company has been an active participant in standardization activities worldwide.

  The program supplies system manufacturers with work products, including confirmation measure reports and verification reports backed by Renesas’ accumulated knowledge and expertise, as part of the bundled services. Where needed, the program also provides services such as verification support, instruction (e-learning), and consulting. These forms of support are designed to provide customers with the solutions they require and help them develop safe systems.

Renesas will feature the demonstration of the Safety Security Support Program for Automotive at the Renesas booth at the CAR-ELE Japan, to be held in Tokyo, Japan, from January 14 to 16, 2015.

Refer to the separate sheet for the roadmap of the Safety and Security Support Program for Automotive.

About Renesas Electronics Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power, and SoC products, Renesas provides comprehensive solutions for a broad range of automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT applications that help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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