Hyundai Mobis to test viability of local auto chips

Hyundai Mobis will focus on verifying the real-world applicability and commercial viability of locally developed automotive semiconductors this year, as the industry seeks to reduce reliance on overseas suppliers amid the shift toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the auto parts maker said Wednesday.

The company identified 19 joint system semiconductor projects with Korean companies over the past year, with development underway on 13 chips. Nine of the 13 have designated target vehicle models, bringing the projects closer to real-world application.

Hyundai Mobis unveiled the progress at its second Auto Semicon Korea forum in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Participation expanded to 53 companies and institutions this year, up from 27 last year, as collaboration widened to include software, chip design intellectual property, packaging, testing and functional safety.

The forum was launched last year to strengthen Korea’s automotive semiconductor supply chain by connecting automakers, parts suppliers, chip designers, foundries and research institutions.

For this year’s event, key participants — including Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan — discussed concrete measures to localize system semiconductors, develop next-generation power chips and coordinate industry demand with government support.

Last year’s first forum focused on finding opportunities to extend Korean companies’ home appliance, mobile and industrial semiconductor technologies to automotive applications and develop them jointly.

For this year, the discussion has moved into a more advanced stage as participants confirm the potential for actual product development, vehicle application and commercialization, Hyundai Mobis CEO Lee Gyu-suk said during a press conference before the forum.

“Hyundai Mobis will connect each company’s strengths and build a full-cycle collaboration structure in which we share responsibility from development through verification to mass production, so that no individual company has to bear the high barriers to entry in automotive semiconductors on its own,” Lee said.

The company plans to develop the forum into a platform connecting chip demand with development, validation and mass production. It will work with automakers to define technical requirements, quality standards, deployment schedules and target vehicle models early in the development process.

Automotive semiconductors require more than chip-design capabilities, as they must meet strict reliability, quality and functional safety standards before entering mass production.

Hyundai Mobis will help domestic suppliers overcome these barriers by sharing automakers’ requirements and supporting validation at both the controller and vehicle levels.

The company is also pursuing two main areas: system semiconductors, which handle functions, such as communication, sensing and data processing, along with power semiconductors used in electrification systems.

Hyundai Mobis currently mass-produces 16 types of internally designed system semiconductors through external foundries, with combined annual production of about 20 million units. It is also reviewing joint development opportunities in next-generation power semiconductors, including silicon carbide chips and insulated-gate bipolar transistors.