Microchip launches first automotive-qualified Gen 4 PCIe switches for autonomous-driving systems

High-speed, low-latency connectivity solutions for distributed, heterogenous compute systems are a fundamental element in next-generation autonomous driving applications.

To this end, Microchip Technology is announcing the market’s first Gen 4 automotive-qualified PCIe switches. These Switchtec PFX, PSX, and PAX switch solutions provide cutting-edge compute interconnect capabilities for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

“Our automotive-qualified portfolio of Switchtec Gen 4 switches provides the lowest latency and high bandwidth required to link the CPU and accelerator building blocks used in ADAS applications,” says Krishna Mallampati, associate director of marketing and applications for Microchip’s data-center solutions business unit. “We are delighted to see the culmination of several years of collaboration with key technology partners and to bring these solutions to market.”

Switchtec Gen 4 PCIe switches provide the high-speed interconnect that supports distributed, real-time, safety-critical data processing in ADAS architectures. PCIe is emerging as the preferred compute interconnect solution for the automotive industry for the same reasons it has become pervasive in the data-center market. It provides ultra-low latency and low-power bandwidth scalability to CPUs and specialized accelerator devices.

“The qualification of Microchip’s solutions to meet the stringent needs of the automotive market is a significant milestone, and one NVIDIA closely collaborated on,” said Michael Truog, senior director of Automotive Platform Architecture at NVIDIA. “Microchip’s automotive PCIe switches deliver flexibility and advanced programmability, enabling high-speed SoC and GPU connectivity within our NVIDIA DRIVE platform.”

Microchip’s ChipLink diagnostic graphical user-interface (GUI) provides extensive debug, diagnostics, configuration, and forensics tools for rapid deployment.