STMicroelectronics joins Car Connectivity Consortium

STMicroelectronics by joining the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) aims to promote connectivity between cars and smartphones. As a semiconductor manufacturer, they are active at both of these modern markets.

“There are countless applications for smartphones in the car, too, and users are increasingly tending to use it for functions that were previously firmly anchored in the car, such as navigation, unlocking doors, adjusting the seat, setting the radio station of choice and adjusting the car to personal preferences,” explains Joel Huloux, Director of STMicroelectronics. STM is interested in participating in shaping this market. “We joined the consortium to contribute our expertise and in return benefit from the other players,” Huloux said.

Certain segments of STM’s technology portfolio fit well with automotive connectivity and CCC’s objectives. Examples include the ST25 series of NFC readers, the ST33 safety elements, the Accordo STA12 infotainment processors, the Telemaco family of vehicle processors (STA13) and the Stellar series of vehicle gateway/domain microcontrollers.

ST is also active in the market for NFC technology as a digital key and as a connection medium for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi coupling. In addition, the company offers technologies for wireless charging – including authentication and foreign object detection. Thanks to STM’s early mover advantage in eSIMs, the technology is also suitable for securing automotive applications. Infotainment is another segment addressed by STM. Coupling with smartphones or mirroring their display on the head unit significantly enhances the user experience by securely supporting voice-activated services such as Internet music or networked navigation. Further features include the acquisition of data in the car using various sensors and the processing of this data to reduce the amount of data to be processed from 2 GB/km to around 10 KB/km.