Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Broadcom Aims At Automotive Market With New Generation Ethernet Switches

Irvine-based Broadcom is launching a new set of Ethernet switches, to a market you might not think of at first: for embedding in automobiles. According to Broadcom, its new BroadR-Reach automotive Ethernet switches are aimed at use for in-car networking, infotainment, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems(ADAS), and othr applications. Broadcom says it already has prior generations of those Ethernet switches being used on the road in the BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, i3, i8, 6 Series and 7 Series vehicles; the Jaguar XJ and XF; and the Volkswagen Passat. The company said its new BC8953x is aimed at similar automobiles, but also includes compliance with the latest standards and device authentication and other security features, plus an integrated PHY, which reduces component count, costs, and size. The company said the new switches can also be used for things as connecting such things as back-up cameras, instrumentation, audio and video streaming.