MathWorks accepts CGTN interview: Software drives the development of intelligent connected vehicle industry

Beijing, China, September 29, 2022 - Mr. Cao Xinkang, General Manager of MathWorks China, was recently invited to participate in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN). During the interview, Mr. Cao Xinkang and CGTN reporters discussed and interpreted the current development of China's automotive chip industry and the impact of the global automotive chip shortage on Chinese companies, and talked about MathWorks' value chain enhancement and contribution to the intelligent connected vehicle industry in the era of software-defined vehicles.

Mr. Cao Xinkang, General Manager of MathWorks China

The key to breaking the chip shortage: smart connected car chips

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 triggered an industry-wide and global "chip shortage wave". In the early days of the pandemic, the strong demand for consumer electronics caused a shift in chip production capacity. After two years of development, the automotive industry has surpassed the consumer electronics field to become the industry most affected by the "chip shortage", and the chip shortage has also become a major bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of China's automobile industry. In this regard, Mr. Cao Xinkang said, "With the advancement of work in the past two years, the overall chip shortage has eased, but the structural chip shortage is still continuing, and the key to breaking this link lies in smart connected car chips." For smart connected cars, chips are the digital base and one of the biggest breakthrough points in the industry. Unlike the chips required for traditional cars, the design of smart connected car chips is more complex, and it requires stronger communication, computing, storage and perception capabilities. Under this situation, the demand for innovative smart connected chips by automakers is bound to rise, and local chip manufacturers should seize the opportunity to actively lay out the track.

Entering the golden age of Chinese automotive chips requires both soft and hard measures

The demand for automotive function upgrades and electronic architecture changes has ushered in the golden age of China's automotive chips. More and more chip manufacturers are focusing on high-performance AI chips, cockpit chips, domain controllers, vehicle-mounted microcontrollers, and new energy power chips. However, as chip manufacturers continue to pour into the automotive supply chain, some issues that cannot be ignored have gradually surfaced. Mr. Cao Xinkang pointed out that first of all, in addition to emphasizing the performance of the chip itself, chip manufacturers also need to pay attention to the underlying software that supports it. Secondly, chip manufacturers need to improve their self-research capabilities and strengthen the research and development of core algorithms in order to de-homogenize in market competition and maintain their unique advantages. In addition, the manufacturing of intelligent connected vehicles has brought vehicle manufacturers and chip companies to an unprecedented close distance. Automakers need to establish the ability to deeply understand high-performance semiconductors, and chip companies also need to innovate the functions of chips according to the needs of automakers. Only when the two are integrated can they achieve maximum benefits. Mr. Cao Xinkang said that MathWorks has rich experience in both automotive and semiconductor fields, and is very willing and able to help automakers and chip companies create a common language and build a bridge of communication.

MathWorks helps automakers take advantage of the times and embark on a new journey

In the era of the Internet of Everything, new energy-driven intelligent connected vehicles are leading technological innovation as a key node in the cross-border integration of smart cities, smart transportation, and smart energy. Focusing on the theme of software-defined cars, the entire industry will re-examine the automotive software development system. At this critical moment in the transformation of auto companies, MathWorks, with its years of experience in cooperation with auto companies, has discovered four key factors, namely system engineering, software factories, data-driven, and virtual vehicles. If local companies want to enter the leading track of intelligent connected vehicles, they also need to consolidate their strength in these four aspects.

MathWorks is committed to comprehensively improving its products and platforms around the three cores of systems, software, and data. In its more than 40 years of deep involvement in the automotive industry, it has achieved fruitful results:

• In terms of systems, Simulink has expanded from an integrated simulation platform to a system engineering platform;

  
  

• In terms of software, MathWorks model-based design can be developed in collaboration with software factories and connected to continuous integration environments to achieve verification automation;

  
  

• In terms of data, MATLAB's AI development capabilities focus on engineering and end-to-end workflows to help realize the application of AI and real systems;

  
  

• In terms of virtual vehicles, MathWorks provides a powerful simulation integration platform based on a common workflow, and the platform is very flexible and can be customized according to needs.

At the end of the interview, Mr. Cao Xinkang stated that as a reliable partner of the industry, MathWorks will always be committed to providing vehicle manufacturers and suppliers with continuously improved and iterative software tools, product support, and solutions to help the intelligent connected vehicle industry create new value drivers.