January 1, 2024 /SemiMedia/ -- Renesas announced that it has joined the Advanced Automotive Chip R&D Alliance composed of Japanese automakers, parts manufacturers and semiconductor companies to produce more efficient automotive processor chips.

The alliance, the "Advanced SoC Research for Automotive" (ASRA), was officially established in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan on December 1, 2023. Executives from Toyota and Denso serve as chairman and executive director respectively.

The 12 alliance members are automobile manufacturers Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, and Subaru, auto parts manufacturers Denso and Panasonic Automotive Electronic Systems, automotive chip manufacturer Renesas Electronics, EDA companies Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, chip development company MIRISE Technologies (a joint venture between Toyota and Denso) and IC design company Socionext.

ASRA focuses on developing automotive SoC technology using chiplet (small chip) technology, with the goal of establishing chiplet technology in 2028 and integrating SoC into mass-produced cars after 2030.

In addition to semiconductor companies, ASRA also plans to involve automotive ECU, vehicle operating system (OS) and other physical manufacturers with the aim of developing turnkey solutions.