Li Auto is developing autonomous driving chips and MCUs?

SiC has become a battleground for electric vehicles.

On August 24, 2022, Li Auto's power semiconductor R&D and production base officially started construction in Suzhou High-tech Zone, Jiangsu Province. This marks that Li Auto has officially launched its independent industrial chain layout for next-generation high-voltage electric drive technology.

Li Auto's power semiconductor R&D and production base is one of the strategic layouts of Li Auto's self-developed core components. It mainly focuses on the independent research and development and production of third-generation semiconductor SiC automotive-grade power modules, aiming to create independent design and production of automotive-specific power modules. Manufacturing capabilities. The production base is built by Suzhou Sco Semiconductor Company, a joint venture between Li Auto and Hunan Sanan Semiconductor, a leading domestic semiconductor company. It is expected to enter the equipment installation and commissioning stage after completion in 2022. Sample trial production will start in the first half of 2023, and it will be officially put into production in 2024. It is expected that the production capacity will gradually increase and eventually reach the annual production capacity of 2.4 million SiC half-bridge power modules.

As an innovator in China's new energy market, Li Auto is committed to solving users' range anxiety and charging anxiety, and will form a "two-wheel drive" product layout of extended range electric product lines and ultra-fast charging pure electric product lines. In order to ensure the product strength of ultra-fast charging pure electric models, this series of models will be equipped with an 800V high-voltage electric drive system based on SiC power modules, giving full play to the high-voltage and high-temperature resistance characteristics of third-generation semiconductors to achieve power density and system efficiency. Great improvement in performance.

"We are very happy to work with Hunan Sanan Semiconductor to lay out the advanced technology field of third-generation semiconductors. Based on unique technical advantages, third-generation semiconductors are expected to quickly penetrate and apply in the field of new energy vehicles in the future. Independent research and development and production of third-generation semiconductors Semiconductor SiC automotive-grade power modules will help establish Li Auto’s technology and product leadership while effectively ensuring mass production supply.

With its superior properties such as high pressure resistance, high temperature resistance, and low loss, SiC is becoming the "hot potato" of electric vehicles. According to analysis by market institutions, the global scale of electric vehicles will reach 9.221 million units this year, with an annual growth rate of 48%. Both Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y have been fully upgraded to SiC main drive inverters.

On March 28, 2022, NIO officially announced that it had completed the ET7 owner delivery ceremony in Hefei. This model is equipped with a new generation 800V SiC platform. Compared with IGBT, the current is increased by 30%, and the overall power efficiency has also been greatly improved.

The G9 series of domestic electric vehicle brand Xpeng Motors is built on an 800V high-voltage SiC platform. This is also the first mass-produced vehicle in China based on the 800VSiC platform. It is reported that Xpeng G9 will start pre-orders in August, and will be officially launched and delivered to users in September.

According to data from TrendForce Consulting, the market size of automotive SiC power components is expected to reach US$1.07 billion in 2022, and will climb to US$3.94 billion by 2026.

Source: TrendForce

Even though the cost of SiC remains high, due to the optimization and improvement of the circuit system, it can ultimately save more than 5% of energy consumption, making the overall cost lower. Especially in the 800V high-voltage platform, in order to meet the needs of large current and high voltage, the main drive inverter of the motor controller will inevitably be replaced by SiC MOSFET from silicon-based IGBT.

On December 29, 2021, Great Wall Motors invested in Hebei Tongguang Co., Ltd. as a leading investor, officially entering the third-generation semiconductor core industry. Hebei Tongguang Co., Ltd. relies on the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and specializes in the research and development, preparation and sales of SiC single crystals. It is the largest high-tech enterprise in Hebei Province and the first high-tech enterprise in China to achieve mass production of third-generation semiconductor material SiC single crystal substrates. This investment will promote the development and construction of Tongguang's SiC industry. It is reported that in September this year, Tongguang Co., Ltd.’s “annual production capacity of 100,000 pieces of SiC single crystal substrate project” was put into operation. In the future, Tongguang Co., Ltd. also plans to build 2,000 SiC crystal growth furnace growth bases and processing bases. The annual production capacity of SiC single crystal substrates will reach 600,000 pieces.

On November 30, 2021, SAIC Motor and its market-oriented private equity investment platform Shangqi Capital jointly invested 500 million yuan to complete a Series A investment in Jita Semiconductor, a leading domestic automotive-grade chip and SiC power device manufacturer. It will greatly help Jita Semiconductor leverage its automotive-grade chip manufacturing advantages and increase the research and development of manufacturing processes for automotive-grade power management chips, IGBTs and SiC power devices. Jita Semiconductor is a specialty integrated circuit chip manufacturing company that focuses on the R&D and manufacturing of specialty production processes required for analog circuits and power devices. The BCD, IGBT/FRD, SGT/MOSFET, TVS, SiC devices and other chips it produces serve a wide range of services In automotive electronics, industrial control, power management, intelligent terminals, and even high-end application markets such as rail transit and smart grids.

Beijing Anpeng Xingyuan New Energy Industry Investment Center (Limited Partnership) invested by BAIC also invested in SiC semiconductor company Shanghai Zhanxin Electronic Technology. Zhanxin Electronics mainly provides power conversion solutions with SiC power devices, SiC driver chips, and SiC modules as the core. Zhanxin Electronics has started product research and development of 6-inch SiC MOSFETs since its establishment, and currently has mastered 6-inch SiC MOSFETs. and SBD technology, as well as SiC MOSFET driver chips. Zhanxin Electronics uses a virtual IDM model to complete wafer manufacturing, chip packaging, module packaging, performance testing and reliability testing with partners in the domestic first-tier semiconductor industry.

On May 17, 2021, Geely jointly established Guangdong Xin Yueneng Semiconductor Co., Ltd. with Xin Juneng Semiconductor, Xinhe Technology, etc. According to the official Weibo, Xinyueeng is located in Nansha, Guangzhou. It is a chip foundry company that manufactures and develops SiC chips for automotive and industrial control fields. The production line covers an area of ​​150 acres and will be built with an annual output of 240,000 6-inch chips. SiC Wafer has become the largest automotive grade SiC chip manufacturing company in China. In addition, at the "Smart Geely 2025 Conference", Geely Automobile announced that it will mass-produce its own 800V high-power SiC chips in 2023.

Obviously, silicon carbide has now become the focus of the layout of domestic and foreign car manufacturers. Whether they use silicon carbide products from suppliers or invest in the research and development of silicon carbide themselves, in short, today with the explosion of new energy vehicles, silicon carbide has been completely pushed into the market. The peak of the technological wave.