Intel’s new SoC solution accelerates electric vehicle innovation

EVs are currently more expensive to manufacture than traditional petrol-powered cars, mainly due to the high costs of advanced battery and e-motor technology. The short-term solution involves improving the efficiency of existing battery technology through energy savings at the vehicle level and better integration with EV charging infrastructure.

Silicon Mobility, an Intel company, has addressed this challenge with the launch of the new OLEA U310 system-on-chip (SoC). This next-generation technology aims to enhance the overall performance of EVs, streamline design and production processes, and ensure seamless operation across various EV charging platforms.

The new SoC is the first of its kind, offering a complete solution that integrates both hardware and software. It is designed to meet the powertrain domain control needs in electrical architectures with distributed software. Featuring a unique hybrid and heterogeneous architecture, a single OLEA 310 FPCU can replace up to six standard microcontrollers, controlling an inverter, a motor, a gearbox, a DC-DC converter, and an on-board charger. This allows original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers to manage multiple power and energy functions simultaneously in real time.

Early figures indicate several advantages, including up to 5% improvement in energy efficiency, 25% motor downsizing for the same power output, 35% reduction in cooling needs, and up to 30 times downsizing of passive components compared to current EVs. These benefits enable EV manufacturers to design software-defined electric vehicles with superior performance, improved range, and potentially lower production costs due to the reduced number of components.

The new solution also complements Intel Automotive’s existing family of AI-enhanced software-defined vehicle (SDV) SoCs, collectively advancing the industry's shift toward an all-electric and software-defined future.