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What is Smart Mobility?

The automotive industry is currently undergoing a rapid transformation, shifting its business focus from the individual vehicle to smart mobility systems and thus evolving to an ecosystem much beyond just the automobile. As a result, there’s a huge opportunity for SEMI members to innovate and shape the new mobility ecosystem through automotive electronics.

The Future of Mobility is ACES

Four trends drive smart mobility: Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared. These four trends are largely enabled by microelectronics through computer processors, sensor units, and communication architectures.

Autonomous: computers are taking over driving already today under certain conditions through advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) where vehicles drive by themselves, but have to be continually monitored by the driver. Fully automated self-driving cars are the future, with artificial intelligence and computing power seen as the key to unlocking these goals.

Connected: vehicles today exchange data through a central hub and with each other via cellular, WiFi, satellite, and more. While entertainment and convenience offerings dominate the market, maintenance and safety functionalities are emerging. Connectivity is “built-in” with embedded OEM solutions, “brought-in” as with independent smartphone apps, or “tethered” such as smartphones used as the communication gateway.

Electric: traditional mechanical and fossil-fuel-powered vehicles are increasingly being replaced by hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV), battery-electric vehicles (EV), and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCV). The transition from traditional to electric requires new and potentially more diverse electronics, with control systems, sensors and high-voltage systems instead of ignition, injection and other systems.

Shared: a growing number of consumers are viewing vehicle ownership as a burden rather than a benefit, seeking to get from point A to point B through car-sharing, ride-sharing, ride-hailing, micro-mobility, and micro-transit. Mobile computing enables instant access, competitive and convenient payments, and flexible gig economy opportunities. Electronics, connectivity, and computing all play a critical role.

Tomorrow’s Smart Mobility Solutions Are Needed Today

As one of the fastest-growing markets for innovative electronic systems and devices, today’s automotive market has an increased need for cutting-edge electronics solutions that enable connectivity in and around the car, boost cybersecurity, and monitor passenger comfort.  According to IHS, automotive systems already consume 10% of all semiconductor devices produced globally, and that number continues to rise [1].

McKinsey & Company estimates the automotive software and electrical/electronic (E/E) components markets combined will grow at a 7% CAGR from USD $238 billion in 2020 to US $469 billion by 2030. (Source: McKinsey & Company, 2019)

SEMI Smart Mobility Initiative: Connecting Mobility and Electronics

With the Smart Mobility Initiative, SEMI aims to connect the automotive and electronics supply chains where interests, challenges and opportunities intersect. The spectrum of companies includes vehicle manufacturers, tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers, design companies, , device manufacturers and semiconductor and sensor manufacturing equipment and materials suppliers. As integral members of the SEMI Smart Mobility Initiative, these companies aim to maximize business opportunities, share technology developments and roadmaps, and speed new automotive electronics applications to the market.

 

SEMI’s Smart Mobility Initiative is designed to:

  • Connect the automotive electronics supply chain, from concept to consumer
  • Collect and disseminate regional and global market information
  • Identify common objectives, challenges, and opportunities
  • Create action-oriented communities for open dialogue and transparent collaboration around roadmaps, standards, regulatory developments, and public policy advocacy

We invite you to join the SEMI Smart Mobility Initiative to collaborate with industry members and advance the development of automotive electronic systems, including semiconductors, MEMS, sensors, imaging systems, displays, and other solutions.

As an established, global organization with a long history of bringing electronics manufacturing industries together, SEMI is uniquely positioned to foster collaboration, address shared business and technology challenges, and empower innovative solutions in the automotive electronics market.

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Drive Innovation in Mobility. Join SEMI’s Smart Mobility Initiative.

For more information about SEMI’s Smart Mobility Initiative, contact Bettina Weiss, Chief of Staff and Global Smart Mobility Lead, SEMI, at bweiss@semi.org.

 

Footnotes

[1] Source: IHS, 2020