May 11, 2025 /SemiMedia/ — Microchip Technology has introduced its new LAN878x and LAN888x families of Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) PHY transceivers aimed at automotive, industrial and other high-reliability networking applications.

The new devices support 100BASE-T1, 1000BASE-T1 and dual-speed 100/1000BASE-T1 connectivity. The launch comes as automotive Ethernet adoption continues to expand in ADAS, zonal architecture and software-defined vehicle platforms that require higher bandwidth and more reliable in-vehicle communication.

A key feature of the new PHY families is integrated hardware-based MACsec security compliant with IEEE 802.1AE-2018. The built-in security engine helps protect in-vehicle data traffic through encryption, integrity checks and replay protection without adding extra software overhead or noticeable latency.

The LAN878x and LAN888x series also support Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), allowing deterministic low-latency communication for safety-critical automotive and industrial systems. According to Microchip, the products are designed to support ISO 26262 ASIL-B functional safety requirements and include on-chip diagnostics and link monitoring functions to improve system reliability.

To help automakers and equipment makers simplify hardware development, the new PHY families use pin-compatible designs across different speed grades and support both SGMII and RGMII host interfaces. This allows customers to reuse existing hardware platforms while upgrading network bandwidth.

Microchip said the devices are qualified for Automotive Grade 1 conditions with operating temperatures from -40°C to +125°C and a maximum junction temperature of 150°C. In addition to automotive electronics, the products are also targeting industrial automation, robotics and avionics applications where stable real-time Ethernet communication is required.

Market observers expect demand for automotive Ethernet chips to continue rising as AI-enabled vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems and centralized computing platforms drive the need for faster and more secure onboard networks.

For more information, please visit https://www.microchip.com/en-us/products/high-speed-networking-and-video/ethernet/single-pair-ethernet.