NXP Semiconductors today announced that it has shipped its one millionth FlexRay™ transceiver to the automotive industry. This landmark shipment reiterates its number one position as the leading supplier of in-vehicle networking technology, making NXP the only provider to ship over a million FlexRay Physical Layer compliant transceivers. It also reflects a rapid increase in the adoption of FlexRay in-vehicle networking technology among car OEMs globally.

FlexRay is the automotive standard for deterministic, fault-tolerant, high-speed data communication and it clearly delivers the networking performance demanded by newer and enhanced automotive applications such as brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire. As the next generation In-Vehicle Networking, FlexRay has much higher bandwidth than existing CAN and is expected to be the communication backbone for Drive-by-Wire applications, which will help reduce car weight and energy consumption and allow for better safety.

NXP’s FlexRay transceiver was first road tested by BMW with its 2007 BMW X5, the first series production car with a built-in FlexRay system. In 2008 this was followed by the fifth generation 7 series, which use up to 11 FlexRay node transceivers.

Kai Barbehön, BMW Department Manager Platform-Technologies and FlexRay Consortium Executive Board Member says, “In order to implement new features such as the BMW Dynamic Driver Control which offers our customers exceptional ride control, BMW has used NXP FlexRay technology. BMW is committed to further develop the FlexRay bus system that provides the safety, speed and robust quality demanded in automotive applications and counts therefore on the strong partnership within the semiconductor industry in the future, too.”

Jeroen Keunen, FlexRay Consortium Executive Board Member and General Manager of Integrated IVN & FlexRay MST of NXP Semiconductors says, “Over the past 15 years, the automotive networking team at NXP has constantly strived to drive innovation so that we can bring the latest in-car comfort and safety to the end consumer. We’re delighted to have reached this landmark and having passed the industrialization phase of FlexRay. As one of the founding members of the FlexRay Consortium, NXP is working actively to broaden the adoption of FlexRay Technology towards a global scale, enabling car OEMs worldwide to meet their requirement to reduce emission and fuel consumption and increased driving experiences.”

According to a Strategy Analytics report*, the global automotive networking protocol deployment will lead to a number of network nodes deployed of 2 billion units per annum and a bus transceiver market worth almost US$1 billion by 2015. FlexRay Technology is expected to gain an increasing share of this key market as demand for robust, real time electronic control in safety-critical applications expands. By 2015 Strategy Analytics expects FlexRay to account for around eight percent of global bus transceiver revenues, from less than one percent in 2009.

Chris Webber, VP Automotive Practice at Strategy Analytics says, “The primary challenge facing vehicle makers is how to make cars more feature-rich, cleaner and safer while also reducing costs. Vehicle multiplex networks are a key tool in minimizing the complexity and cost impact on vehicle architectures of increasing electronic content. The rapidly moving development in the in-vehicle networking industry means that suppliers must continually innovate.”

NXP has taken the lead in providing the best-in-class FlexRay solutions and driving standardization across the industry through its work with the FlexRay Consortium and a number of partners, who have driven innovation in the industry. Complementing the TJA1080A product, NXP recently released the TJA1081 and TJA1082 FlexRay node transceivers addressing car manufacturers’ need for high-speed, fault-tolerant communication systems and flexible and scalable electronic networks.

* Source: Strategy Analytics (July 2009)

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP is a leading semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in Europe, the company has about 29,000 employees working in more than 30 countries and posted sales of USD 5.4 billion (including the Mobile & Personal business) in 2008. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, mobile phones, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices. News from NXP is located at www.nxp.com.

About FlexRay and the FlexRay Consortium

FlexRay is the automotive standard for deterministic, fault-tolerant, high-speed data communication and it clearly delivers the networking performance demanded by new enhanced automotive applications such as brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire.

The FlexRay Consortium is an organization formed to drive the adoption of an open standard for high-speed bus systems for distributed control applications in automobiles. Since forming in September 2000, the Consortium has grown to include the automotive industry’s largest and most influential players. FlexRay development is being driven by the Core Partner companies, BMW, Daimler, Freescale Semiconductor, General Motors, NXP Semiconductors, Robert Bosch and Volkswagen. Various membership levels provide the ability to interact with the FlexRay Consortium working groups, propose ideas, participate in review meetings, and have early access to the specifications, as well as the opportunity to actively participate in the adoption of this global standard.
A complete list of member companies, directions on how to apply for membership and other information is available at the Consortium website, http://www.flexray.com.