Infineon and Flex present an area controller design platform for software-defined vehicles

     Infineon Technologies AG, the global semiconductor leader in power systems and the Internet of Things, and Flex, a diversified global manufacturer and Infineon's new preferred automotive design partner, present the new Flex modular area controller design platform for software-defined vehicles. The platform is an innovative, scalable area control unit (ZCU) with a modular microcontroller (MCU) architecture and common hardware building blocks.

     The Flex Modular Area Controller platform is a vehicle gauge level design solution for rapid implementation of ZCU. With this platform, automakers can deliver software-defined vehicles flexibly and at scale. This next-generation area controller platform combines Infineon's innovative chipsets with Flex's design and advanced manufacturing capabilities to provide automotive manufacturers with optimized power distribution, gateway and motor control solutions. The production-ready platform can quickly adapt to the specific needs of the vehicle manufacturer, accelerating production ramp-up and time to market.

     Hans Adlkofer, Senior Vice President Automotive Electronics at Infineon Technologies, said: "Infineon is delighted to partner with Flex, whose design expertise complements our strengths. Our achievements in optimizing chipset cost and performance, coupled with flexibility and 'design-house specific' development speed, allow customers to adapt their ZCU to their specific needs."

     Mike Thoeny, president of Flex's automotive division, said: "As software-defined vehicles lay the foundation for a new generation of mobility, the automotive industry needs to collaborate to help automakers grow faster and focus their resources on creating brand experiences through software. Flex's collaboration with Infineon on an advanced computing platform is a great example of how ecosystem members can work together to help automakers more flexibly and quickly launch software-defined vehicles."

     The Flex modular area Controller platform optimizes ZCU development with outstanding implementation efficiency and speed. Its optimized Infineon chipset enables rapid evaluation of key component functions, including hardware data accelerators (data routing engine /CAN rout engine), sequential diagnostics, I²T protection and SPI control, for early performance optimization. The platform is implemented through endpoint-independent control, enabling MCU modules to be seamlessly integrated with power distribution and drive functions.