Infineon Technologies AG announced that it has shipped its ten millionth high-frequency radar chip. The 77-GHz chips are used in radar-based driver assistance systems that recognise objects at ranges of up to 250 meters. Infineon estimates that in the year 2014 nearly 50 percent of 77-GHz radar systems in vehicles were equipped with Infineon technology.
In a recent study, the market research firm IHS Technology declared Infineon the global market leader in 77-GHz chips, which is the standard frequency range for radar applications such as adaptive cruise control and collision warning. The first ten million of these radar chips from Infineon were primarily built into premium and luxury vehicles over the past six years.
Infineon anticipates increasing demand and expects that, within the next year, up to ten million radar chips will also be used in mid-sized and compact cars. This means that statistically one out of every twenty cars will be using a driver assistance system with a 77-GHz radar chip from Infineon.
The market research firm Strategy Analytics also confirmed this trend towards safety systems in cars. They expect that in the next five years applications such as distance warning systems and automatic emergency braking will grow by more than 25 percent annually. This growth is in part attributable to the rating scheme from the independent organisation Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme), that reviews the safety of new vehicles sold in Europe.
To achieve the highest rating of five stars a new car must have a radar-based driver assistance system. Strategy Analytics forecasts that of the 105 million new vehicles expected to be built in 2020 more than 20 million will use a radar-based distance warning system. That would mean that about 20 percent of all new vehicles worldwide would be equipped with such a system.
"Our chips make driver assistance systems increasingly accurate and more cost-effective," says Jochen Hanebeck, President of the Automotive division at Infineon Technologies AG. "Radar-based driver assistance systems using Infineon chips now are becoming the standard in mid-range and compact cars. They are an important growth market for Infineon.
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