ResearchInChina and Zuosi Auto Research jointly released the "2026 Automotive Microcontroller (MCU) and Application Scenario Research Report".
In the vehicle's electrical and electronic (E/E) architecture, MCUs are widely distributed across various functional domains of the automobile, undertaking tasks such as functional safety monitoring, real-time control, sensor preprocessing, communication power management, and redundant supervision. Functional safety levels range from ASIL A to ASIL D depending on the functional domain and specific tasks. Systems related to the autonomous driving domain and chassis domain generally require ASIL D due to their direct impact on driving safety. Meanwhile, due to the evolution of subsystem solutions, the number of MCUs and their assigned tasks may vary. However, the overall trend for vehicle MCUs is evolving from a single MCU in distributed ECUs to multiple redundant MCUs in a central + zonal architecture, while MCU performance continues to advance steadily.
Given the growth of NEV (New Energy Vehicle) penetration rates, the current automotive-grade MCU market for passenger vehicles in China continues to show an upward trend. The total installed volume of MCUs in Chinese passenger vehicles for the full year of 2025 is estimated at 850 to 900 million units, with a market size of CNY 26.91 billion. Meanwhile, the proportion of MCUs meeting the ASIL D functional safety level continues to grow. The shipment volume of ASIL D-rated MCU chips in the Chinese passenger vehicle market is estimated at around 100 million units in 2025, and will further increase to 180 million units by 2030.
Technological Evolution of Brake-by-Wire Systems Significantly Elevates Requirements for MCU Redundancy, Functional Safety, and Real-Time Performance
Brake-by-wire is the core execution layer of the intelligent chassis. By replacing traditional hydraulic/mechanical connections with electronic signals, it achieves millisecond-level response and precise control of braking commands, providing a redundant safety cornerstone for autonomous driving. Its technological path is evolving from Electro-Hydraulic Braking (EHB) to dry Electromechanical Braking (EMB).
Electro-Hydraulic Braking (EHB) systems consist of a brake pedal module, a control unit, and a hydraulic control module, representing the mainstream brake-by-wire solution in the current market. Compared to traditional braking systems, the "by-wire" aspect of EHB is mainly reflected in the connection between the driver's pedal and the electronic control unit of the braking system, which changes from a mechanical connection to an electronic signal connection, while the braking execution unit still retains the hydraulic system. Based on the integration level of the EHB system, it can be divided into two control strategies: "Two-box" and "One-box":
The Two-box EHB system generally consists of a motor, a mechanical reduction mechanism, a master cylinder, sensors, and two independent controller ECUs. Therefore, the MCU quantity requirement is generally two MCUs or two MCUs plus a redundant monitoring MCU. Meanwhile, the MCUs must meet requirements such as ASIL-D, real-time closed-loop control, and millisecond-level redundancy.
The One-box EHB system integrates the iBooster and ESP based on the original Two-box format, requiring only one ECU and braking unit. This offers higher integration, reduced volume and mass, and enables independent hydraulic control of wheel cylinders, thereby realizing vehicle stability control functions such as ABS, ESC, and Traction Control System (TCS). In terms of quantity, it requires only one MCU, which is fewer than the Two-box solution, but the performance requirements remain consistent.
Electromechanical Braking (EMB) further simplifies the braking structure based on EHB by eliminating the original brake master cylinder and hydraulic pipelines of EHB. It integrates the motor directly onto the brake, using the motor to push the brake piston, causing the brake caliper to clamp the brake disc to achieve braking.
To meet ASIL-D functional safety requirements, EMB architecture design is critical. The ECU, power supply, communication lines, etc., must adopt redundant backup designs. Regarding ECU layout, a few systems will discard the EMB actuator's own controller and integrate the control functions into a centralized duplex module. More commonly, systems adopt four actuator ECUs. Common solutions and MCU layouts are shown in the table below.
Currently, EMB brake-by-wire systems require approximately six MCUs. These MCUs do not pursue high TOPS, but focus on performance metrics such as a 200MHz+ clock frequency, lockstep cores, ASIL-D functional safety compliance, microsecond-level FOC current loops, multi-channel CAN-FD/FlexRay redundant communication, high-resolution PWM/ADC, and 48V compatibility. Combined with dual power supplies, dual-winding motors, and mechanical self-locking, they form a complete fail-operational system.
Taking SemiDrive Technology as an example, its flagship intelligent control MCU E3650 was announced for mass production in October 2025 and has been designated by multiple leading automakers. It covers four major scenarios: vehicle zonal control, VMC chassis domain control, intelligent cockpit/autonomous driving domain control, and powertrain domain control.
Performance Highlights: 4 pairs of 600MHz ARM Cortex-R52+ lockstep multi-core clusters, integrating 16MB automotive-grade MRAM, supporting virtualization, with computing power increased by nearly 40% compared to products in the same tier;
Safety Level: Meets AEC-Q100 Grade 1 reliability and ISO 26262 ASIL D functional safety levels, integrating the Xuanwu ultra-secure HSM module, and complying with ISO 21434 and Evita Full and above information security standards;
Communication Capability: Fully self-developed SSDPE hardware communication acceleration engine, achieving zero packet loss in multi-channel CAN FD concurrency, suitable for high-frequency communication of multiple sensors and actuators in brake-by-wire chassis;
Cross-Domain Integration: A single chip can achieve secure isolation and coordinated scheduling of multi-system services for body, chassis, and powertrain, adapting to the trend of zonal controllers integrating brake-by-wire chassis functions.
Meanwhile, the automotive E/E architecture continues to evolve toward a central computing platform. In addition to the "central brain" composed of the intelligent cockpit and autonomous driving, vehicle control tasks related to body, connectivity, powertrain, and chassis motion coordination are gradually merging upward from the current zonal layer into a "central intelligent control cerebellum," requiring a more powerful and robust secure computing foundation.
For the complex system of the central cerebellum, SemiDrive has created the "AMU (Architecture Master Unit)" super computing foundation. The AMU transcends traditional general-purpose MCU chips, serving as a real-time computing platform with ultra-high integration, greater power, and enhanced security. Building upon the chip, it integrates SemiDrive's deep system optimization capabilities and leading software capabilities to deliver hardware-software co-optimized solutions to automakers. In April 2026, SemiDrive officially launched two AMU solutions designed for the "central intelligent control cerebellum": the flagship AMU E3800 and the Gemini AMU E3650-E.
The E3800 integrates over 10 cores on a single chip, providing powerful secure real-time computing power. It introduces aerospace-grade advanced embedded storage, with performance reaching 10 to 20 times that of traditional eFlash. Addressing the scenario requirements of the central cerebellum, the E3800 specifically enhances network communication capabilities, equipped with ultra-high bandwidth Ethernet, integrated multi-port switches, and multi-level network acceleration engines. Through underlying architecture innovation, the E3800 enables deep pipeline-coupled collaborative work between the CPU and NPU, comprehensively improving the real-time intelligent processing capability of the central cerebellum.
The Gemini AMU is a combination of two E3650 flagship chips connected on the same board. Utilizing SemiDrive's "SemiLink" communication optimization technology, it reduces cross-chip communication latency to the microsecond level. When automakers conduct actual upper-layer development, it achieves the same minimalist development and smooth experience as a single chip. The core advantage of the Gemini AMU lies in its excellent flexibility, enabling automakers to achieve flexible computing power expansion from 10 to 16 cores, much like building blocks. Especially when the vehicle E/E architecture is iterating rapidly and requirements have not yet fully converged, the Gemini AMU solution can help automakers achieve small-step iteration and agile verification, making new architecture development more effortless, and buying time for vehicle intelligence.
Mainstream Choices for Next-Generation Intelligent BMS Domain Controllers Are Evolving Toward High-Performance Multi-Core MCUs or Heterogeneous MCU+MPU Architectures
The next-generation centralized domain-controlled BMS architecture adopts a high-performance domain control motherboard (potentially using a multi-core MCU) that directly takes over all original BMU functions, integrates some VCU energy management functions, and even integrates gateway functions.
High-performance multi-core MCU: For example, Infineon's TC4xx series features multiple lockstep cores (for ASIL-D safety tasks) and performance cores, which can meet the highest functional safety requirements while providing considerable computing power for algorithm execution.
MCU+MPU heterogeneous architecture: This is a more forward-looking choice. The MCU part (e.g., Cortex-R series) is dedicated to handling high real-time and high-safety tasks (such as overvoltage protection and short-circuit protection). The MPU part (e.g., Cortex-A series) runs a rich operating system (such as Linux), responsible for complex algorithms, network communication, diagnostic services, and human-machine interaction interfaces. This architecture balances real-time safety and intelligent computing.
In 2026, Infineon launched an advanced microcontroller, the PSoC™ 4 HVPA-SPM 1.0, specifically designed for high-voltage lithium-ion battery management systems in electric vehicles (xEVs). This microcontroller features high precision, high safety, and good programmability, while also supporting the transition to zonal architecture and Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) functions.
The PSoC HVPA-SPM 1.0 adopts a highly integrated design with intelligence, safety, and efficiency, bringing a new upgrade to battery management systems. The controller can perform high-precision monitoring of current, voltage, and temperature to ensure the reliability of battery performance, while improving the accuracy of State of Charge (SoC) and State of Health (SoH). The product complies with ASIL D (ISO 26262) functional safety standards and can operate robustly and reliably in critical high-voltage battery systems. Its built-in Arm® Cortex®-M0+ processor can provide advanced edge intelligence to accelerate data processing and reduce the load on the central Electronic Control Unit (ECU). Meanwhile, the microcontroller also supports zonal architecture, enabling OEMs to customize systems according to specific needs, thereby shortening development cycles and accelerating time-to-market.
Under Zonal Architecture, MCU-less Solutions Are Being Promoted in Certain Scenarios
Given the performance improvement of domain controllers and the realization of high-speed, stable, long-distance communication via in-vehicle Ethernet, the MCU-less solution of "eliminating the local MCU for vehicle lights and fully transferring control authority to the zonal controller" has become a direction of attention for manufacturers. In the development trend of SDVs, the MCU-less lighting control architecture integrates lighting algorithms into the vehicle's zonal controller, releasing the computing power requirements of the lighting controller for MCUs, and meeting customer needs for cost-effectiveness, high efficiency, and high integration.
Significant cost reduction: Eliminating the MCU, crystal oscillator, and some peripheral components such as PMICs (Power Management ICs) in vehicle lights reduces BOM costs and hardware complexity;
Substantial increase in communication speed: Ethernet replaces CAN-FD to increase communication bandwidth and reduce latency, supporting more complex real-time headlight control and image data transmission;
MCU-less reconstructs the system architecture, helping OEMs achieve functional differentiation: After adopting MCU-less, the control logic is completely centralized in the zonal controller. OEMs can independently define lighting logic and combine it with autonomous driving data to achieve smarter lighting interactions, truly moving toward "software-defined lighting." Tier 1 suppliers, on the other hand, focus more on drive design and interface implementation, resulting in clearer division of labor and faster response.
onsemi's MCU-less solution changes to a flattened architecture of "High-Performance Compute (HPC) - 10Base-T1S Ethernet - RCP chip - LED driver". By directly connecting the HPC to the RCP chip and replacing the traditional CAN bus with 10 Mbps Ethernet. This solution achieves significant hardware optimization: eliminating components such as MCUs, reset circuits, and crystal oscillators at each node, it allows 8 to 40 nodes to be connected on unshielded twisted pair cables up to 25 meters long. It utilizes PoDL technology to complete power supply and communication simultaneously through dual wires, reducing wiring harness costs by over 50% and significantly decreasing system complexity. Meanwhile, in terms of performance, the 10Base-T1S Ethernet speed reaches 10 Mbps, far exceeding CAN/CAN FD. The RCP chip integrates the gPTP protocol, enabling nanosecond-level clock synchronization to ensure coordinated control of lighting across the vehicle.
Infineon, with the TLD7002-16ES solution, proposes a lighting solution that uses a UART OVER CAN communication interface to reduce costs and improve EMC performance. The TLD7002-16ES is an intelligent 16-channel LED driver with an HSLI interface (CAN OVER UART), supporting UART OVER CAN communication speeds up to 2M. It can be used as a gateway to control other external LED drivers. By using the TLD7002-16ES as a "gateway," a single chip can directly drive 16 channels of LEDs via UART-over-CAN, and then cascade external drivers, eliminating the MCU, crystal oscillator, and reset circuits on the light board entirely. It retains PWM, diagnostics, current expansion, thermal balancing, and nanosecond synchronization functions, thereby realizing the MCU-less architecture for the lighting ECU. This design reduces hardware complexity by 40% and wiring harness requirements by 25%, driving the innovation of domain-centralized electrical design. Meanwhile, it can better meet the dynamic configuration requirements of SDVs for lighting systems. The single-chip integration solution replaces traditional discrete designs, reducing BOM costs by 30%.
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