Aquantia intros automotive Ethernet portfolio- multi-gig over copper

Aquantia, which is known for its multi-gig Ethernet over copper PHY technologies, introduced an automotive networking portfolio and announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to provide Multi-Gig networking support for the NVIDIA DRIVE Xavier and DRIVE Pegasus platforms.

The market for automotive Ethernet could be many times larger than the data center, enterprise and access segments where multi-gig Ethernet-over-copper used today. Future vehicles, especially Level 4/5 autonomous vehicles, will require high-performance onboard networks to connect cameras, sensors, and displays with GPUs and CPUs.

Level 4/5 requirements include multiple high-resolution videos cameras, some of which are expected to be up to 4K60p at 20-bit resolution requiring full 10 Gbps connectivity. The network must be secure and redundant. It must also use reliable and low-cost cabling. For these reasons, Aquantia believes its multi-gig Ethernet over copper technologies are best suited for the task.

Aquantia's AQcelerate Automotive product line includes the following devices, which all support data rates up to 10GbE:

• The AQV107 Multi-Gig PHY
• The AQVC107 PCIe Multi-Gig MAC+PHY Ethernet controller
• The AQVC100 PCIe Multi-Gig controller (MAC only)

“The number one feature for self-driving vehicles is safety,” said Faraj Aalaei, Chairman and CEO of Aquantia Corp. “Vehicle sensors and cameras collect huge amounts of data that need instant processing to allow the vehicle to make critical decisions that ensure the safety of the driver, passengers, and anyone else sharing the road. Moving data between the sensors and the compute nodes within the In-Vehicle Network (IVN) requires Multi-Gig capabilities to deliver a safe and secure driving experience.”

Aquantia confirmed that its new products deliver the 10Gbps Ethernet connectivity for the NVIDIA DRIVE Xavier and DRIVE Pegasus platforms for autonomous vehicles. NVIDIA's DRIVE Xavier processor parses all the information to understand a full 360-degree perception around the vehicle and determine the presence and movement of pedestrians, other vehicles and objects as it plans a safe path forward. The Aquantia Ethernet products communicate the data and decisions back and forth throughout the system at 10Gbps over automotive Ethernet cables.

Earlier this month at CES, Aquantia announced a partnership with Molex, which has developed a 10 Gbps Automotive Ethernet Network solution for connecting Electronic Control Units (ECUs) throughout a vehicle. The Molex Automotive Ethernet solution uses Aquantia's new silicon.