S32N Vehicle Super-Integration Processors

A vehicle super-integration processor combines scalable real-time and applications processing with hardware isolation and virtualization technologies to support the consolidation of cross-vehicle electronic control units (ECUs) in vehicle central compute applications.

Vehicle super-integration processors are used in automotive central compute applications. Central compute is the centralized consolidation of vehicle control, management and services processing in a software-defined vehicle (SDV) architecture. Central compute can include a central vehicle controller, which focuses on real-time applications and a central vehicle computer, which addresses applications processing.

Central compute provides automakers a consistent way to consolidate, update, customize and reconfigure vehicle functionality in a safe and secure manner. Consolidation of distributed, cross-vehicle ECUs also reduces the complexity, cost and weight of vehicles.

The S32N family address the vehicle E/E architectural shift that removes ECU boxes and reduces wiring with consolidation of vehicle functions into system-on-chips (SoCs). This shift moves vehicles from hardware-defined to software-defined vehicles and allows for more agile development and benefits to carmakers and consumers. The S32N family addresses a key need of cross-vehicle function super-integration into central compute ECUs that will serve as the brain of SDVs, working with zonal controllers and end nodes in the new vehicles.

The S32N family will include multiple devices with a range of scalable real-time and application processing.

Leveraging the computing power and power efficiency of TSMC's 5 nm technology, NXP meets the high levels of integration, power efficiency and performance required for central compute applications.

While both series share a common 5 nm foundation and super-integration capabilities, the S32N55 focuses on safe, real-time processing to consolidate core vehicle functions. The S32N7 series builds on this by adding application cores, an AI NPU engine, a RISC-V-based networking and math accelerator, a high-performance Ethernet switch, and PCIe bridge. These enhancements enable OEMs to consolidate up to eight legacy domains, deploy intelligent, AI-powered vehicle features with greater control over software-defined functions and data orchestration.

The S32N7 processor serves as the intelligent core of the vehicle, orchestrating comprehensive data collection, processing, and prioritization across all operational states—parked, charging, and driving. It securely manages data from integrated functions and zonal systems, enabling real-time analysis and context-aware decisions. With its high-performance compute, AI acceleration, and PCIe interfaces, S32N7 supports agentic AI use cases by dynamically selecting inference models to run locally or in the cloud. This edge intelligence forms the foundation for secure, reliable control and responsiveness, allowing OEMs to innovate, monetize insights, and maintain full ownership of vehicle data while deploying differentiating features across segments and markets.

Built on a unified 5 nm foundation, S32N7 offers a range of pin and software compatible SoCs with shared IP blocks and software environments. This allows OEMs to reuse code, scale performance, and deploy across trims and markets without rearchitecting.