What’s next for mobility? Find out at electronica

Automotive electronics is on the rise around the world. According to the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI), global demand for semiconductors for automotive electronics was worth nearly $35bn in 2014. Today, electrical and electronic components account for 30% of an automobile's production value - with an upward trend. The ZVEI expects the industry to grow at a rate of 4.5% over the next five years. No wonder, because according to the association, 80% of innovations in automobile manufacturing are driven by microelectronics and software.

Expert knowledge
‘Automotive’ will be a focal point of electronica again in 2016. More than 800 exhibitors from this sector have already registered for the fair. All in all, more than 2,800 companies will present their products and services. On 7th November, the day before the fair begins, leading managers and experts will meet at the electronica Automotive Conference to discuss the industry's key issues.

The main topics of this year's lectures are safety, automated driving and interior electronics. Steve Nadig from Daimler Trucks North America will give a keynote address on ‘Autonomous Trucks: A Global Perspective’. In another keynote address titled ‘Automotive meets CE’, Dr. Ludger Laufenberg (Kostal) will explain how autonomous driving is effecting interior electronics.

And Dr. Reinhard Ploss (Infineon Technologies) will examine the current role of electronics in the automotive industry in a keynote titled ‘Semiconductors as a key enabler for the transition of the automotive industry’. Another conference highlight is the concluding discussion on ‘The Secure Connected (Self-driving) Car’. The participants in that roundtable discussion are Dirk Wollschläger (IBM), Lars Reger (NXP Semiconductors Germany), Dr. Thomas Wollinger (ESCRYPT) and Manfred Bauer (Flexera Software).

The conference schedule is available at: www.electronica.de/conferences/automotive-conference/index.html. The electronica Automotive Conference is supported by Hamamatsu, Infineon Technologies and NXP.

New technologies in automotive electronics
The conference’s topics are also reflected in the programme of the electronica Automotive Forum. Whether it comes to partially or fully autonomous driving, new interior and exterior light functions or improved connectivity, new technology is changing the development world in the automotive industry more dramatically than ever. That is why the Forum not only presents the latest solutions and products from the industry's various sectors, but also gives visitors a look at the challenges of increasingly interdisciplinary collaboration in the future. In more than 130 events including panel discussions, technical lectures and roundtable discussions, participants will find out what current market and technology topics are moving the industry. An up-to-date schedule for the Automotive Forum is available here www.electronica.de/supporting-program.html.

The latest technology
Exhibitors from around the world are expected to have a number of innovations on display. For example, semiconductor specialist NXP invites visitors to take a test drive into the future. In cooperation with Siemens, Honda and other partners, the company will present technologies that prevent accidents, reduce traffic and CO2 emissions and make drivers’ lives easier. They are based on high resolution radar systems the size of a stamp and compact communication devices in the vehicle that communicate with intelligent traffic lights and signs in real time. Cyber security is also a focus topic.

Renesas will provide some excitement at its stand with the electric-drive Artega sports car, which showcases a range of applications driven by its versatile and scalable R-Car, RH850 and RL78 products. With Renesas’ infotainment demo, visitors will be able to view a panorama using multiple displays and see how the application seamlessly moves between and across the monitors. They will also see how augmented reality boosts safety and convenience with an ADAS demo, which shows the surround view around the car based on Renesas R-Car SoCs and features an overlay of mirror and driver monitoring.