Irvine-based chipmaker Broadcom Corp. will soon debut what it hopes will be the basis of its next big market: Ethernet that boosts Internet capabilities in automobiles.
Munich-based BMW AG plans to offer Broadcom’s Ethernet technology in its 2013 X5 sports utility vehicle that’s touted to lower cost, weight and complexity for automakers.
“We are working on taking this 15-year accumulated experience in working with Ethernet and applying it to a completely new market,” said Kevin Brown, vice president and general manager of Broadcom’s Infrastructure and Networking Group. “There hasn’t been a real network of Ethernet inside vehicles.”
Brown said BMW contacted Broadcom a few years ago because of its history in developing Ethernet for data centers and computers. The automaker wanted a scalable next-generation network offering faster connections while meeting stringent cost, weight and size requirements.
BMW was one of the first automakers to use Ethernet with a pilot project in 2008 that connected on-board diagnostics with the car’s sound system. Broadcom engineers were well versed in the technology, but the physical environment of a car presented new challenges.
“It’s a lot smaller, so the distance needed to cover the car is in single-digit meters, maybe 10 to 15 meters at the most, versus hundreds,” Brown said.
“Noise”
Electromagnetic fields in cars present technological “noise” that can disrupt the syncing of consumer electronic devices to an automotive network.
“If you can convert your automotive network to Ethernet—which is already in consumer electronics—it’s much easier to provide next-generation electronics that will fit in seamlessly with what’s in the car,” Brown said. “We’ve done that.”
Broadcom developed an Ethernet cable for BMW a quarter the size of the current standard cable, which consists of eight wires in four pairs. Its first automotive Ethernet chip was sampled a year ago; the BMW applications involve technology designed to help in parking situations.
BMW will use the technology in its “automated driver’s assist,” which allows users to stitch together a surround view of the car, aided by a four-camera system of displays.
80% Less
Broadcom’s cabling system for the application costs about 80% less than current technology, while shedding 30% of the weight of fiber optics currently used, said Timothy Lau, senior product line manager in Broadcom’s Infrastructure and Networking Group.
Future automotive Ethernet applications include “smart steering,” accident-alert and entertainment systems.
Audi demonstrated technology at the last International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that turns a vehicle into a mobile hotspot, allowing drivers to use Google maps on the dashboard and passengers to connect to apps from their smart phones or tablets. That followed a Toyota and Intel partnership to develop an infotainment system.
The drive to offer such high-tech options in autos is fueled by consumers’ desire to replicate their home-based wireless and entertainment systems.
“One small piece of that is building a network in the car that can handle connections inside the vehicle,” Brown said. “Our vision is that it will be based on Ethernet.”
That sentiment is growing among chipmakers, automakers, cable providers, software companies and others.
Broadcom established the OPEN (one-pair Ethernet) Alliance in late 2011, and there were four members, all chipmakers.
Today the organization that promotes Ethernet in cars has a membership of more than 70 that includes Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Honda.
“It’s gotten quite a bit of traction,” Brown said.
Broadcom likely won’t see a revenue benefit from the emerging segment for years. The segment falls into its infrastructure and networking division, which brought in more than $1.6 billion in sales in 2011, or roughly 22% of Broadcom’s nearly $7.4 billion in sales.
Licensing
The company, as with other Broadcom innovations, is licensing the technology to competitors to boost adoption. Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors NV, also a founding member of the alliance, was the first auto supplier to license the technology from Broadcom late last year.
Multiple suppliers have since licensed the Ethernet technology, but Broadcom declined to disclose specific names.
“We want mass adoption,” Brown said.
