Semiconductor Executive Foresees Convergence of Automotive Electronics and Embodied AI

At the Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development High-Level Forum (2026) held from April 11th to 12th at the China National Convention Center Phase II in Beijing, Chen Shujie, Vice President of Xinchi Semiconductor, shared insights on the future of automotive intelligence. The forum's theme focused on advancing the intelligent, green, integrated, and international development of new energy vehicles.

Chen emphasized that automotive intelligence requires not only computational power for the "brain" but also highly efficient execution capabilities. For instance, in autonomous driving processes, after computational decisions are made by chips from companies like NVIDIA or Horizon Robotics, high-quality MCU chips are essential for effective execution.

She explained that Xinchi's MCU chips were positioned for the high-end market from the outset, as the domestic MCU sector has traditionally been dominated by low-end products, with high-end MCUs remaining a critical bottleneck. Across major automotive domain controllers, a high-end MCU is needed to act as a central "chief manager" for unified control.

Chen highlighted the broad application scenarios for their MCU chips: they are used in Xiaomi's lidar systems, integrated into all body control functions of Li Auto's L6 through L9 models, and even deployed in core areas like electric drives for overseas premium vehicles. Furthermore, CATL's Battery Management System (BMS) incorporates their chips. These applications contribute to enhanced vehicle stability and safety.

She noted that automotive electronic architecture is evolving towards zonal control, shifting from a function-oriented design to an integrated "cabin-driving" architecture. In this model, a central "brain" coordinates with four peripheral domains acting as flexible "limbs" to execute commands—a crucial step in implementing this electronic architecture.

Looking ahead, Chen believes future automotive electronic and power architectures will closely resemble embodied intelligence systems, both demanding powerful computational capabilities, precise control, and极高的安全性. This convergence represents a key strategic focus for Xinchi moving forward.