September 27, 2023 /SemiMedia/ -- According to reports, NXP Semiconductors expects its first automotive-grade 5nm chip, made by TSMC, to be available to automakers as early as a year and a half to meet the needs of connected cars for better computing performance and energy efficiency. This means a major upgrade to the 16nm technology used in NXP’s existing range of microprocessors.

“We already gave silicon to our customers as a development platform. The engineering is running,” said Lars Reger, chief technology officer at NXP. “The new NXP S32 next-generation flagship chip will be available to OEMs in one-and-half to two years and will also be on the mass market.”

Reger said that with 4 billion transistors on the new 5-nanometer processor, the S32 next-generation flagship chip will provide real-time optimized network connectivity and enhanced computing and switching performance. He said no artificial intelligence accelerator will be added in the initial phase.

Reger said NXP customers have faced challenges in sufficient chip supply over the past three years due to COVID-19-related restrictions and have requested to source chips from multiple manufacturing sites or suppliers such as Samsung Electronics Co and GlobalFoundries Inc in different regions. In addition, the production capacity diversification strategy also extends to chip packaging and development centers.