S2C Teams Up with Arm, Xylon, and ZC Technology to Drive Software-Defined Vehicle Evolution

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Feb. 20, 2025 -- The automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation driven by technological advancements. As the era of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) emerges, digital features and applications are expanding rapidly, increasing demands for advanced hardware and computational power. With software codebases reaching billions of lines, the industry is rethinking vehicle software and electronic/electrical (E/E) architecture designs.

To address these challenges, S2C has collaborated with Arm, Xylon, and ZC Technology to develop an innovative hybrid prototyping solution tailored for future automotive central and zonal E/E architectures. This innovative design integrates S2C's Prodigy Prototyping system, creating a versatile hybrid platform for automotive microcontroller units (MCUs). The platform is designed to reduce development time and mitigate risks with next-generation Arm® Cortex®-R52+-based automotive MCU designs, enabling faster and safer innovation.

Revolutionizing Automotive Design: The Rise of Software-Defined Vehicles

The shift toward electrification and intelligent vehicles propels the automotive industry toward digitalization and SDVs. Intelligent Connected Vehicles have become a key focus of industry upgrades, driving the evolution of E/E architectures from traditional distributed designs to domain-centric and, eventually, centralized structures.

Central to this transformation is the consolidation of Electronic Control Units (ECUs), which now execute multiple system functions through high-performance ECUs. This approach reduces development and production costs while enhancing flexibility and enabling the transition from fixed functions to software-defined features. Major OEMs are embracing this paradigm and optimizing E/E architectures with various topologies.

Among the components of automotive electronic systems, MCUs are one of the most critical parts of ECUs. MCUs are responsible for managing and controlling the vehicle's body electronics and safety systems while handling massive amounts of data, making driving decisions, and coordinating the operations of various systems. To meet the demands of complex driving environments and dynamic driving needs, MCUs must feature high-performance processors, ample memory, and diverse interfaces. At the same time, high reliability and stability are essential characteristics of MCUs designed for automotive applications. Automotive-grade MCU architectures must comply with stringent safety standards such as ISO 26262, as even the smallest malfunction could have severe consequences for driving safety.

As driving environments grow more complex and safety requirements intensify, enhancing MCU performance has become essential for ECU consolidation strategies. This integration simplifies layouts, reduces hardware complexity, accelerates software updates, and lays a strong foundation for SDVs.

A Hybrid Prototyping Solution Tailored for Automotive MCUs

Based on this, S2C, in collaboration with Arm, Xylon, and ZC Technology, has developed a hybrid prototyping solution for automotive MCUs based on the Arm architecture. This innovative reference design is tailored for future automotive central and zonal E/E architectures, enabling customers to explore and evaluate new automotive architectures in depth and achieve product differentiation. The hybrid prototyping solution integrates S2C's Prodigy Prototyping system with automotive MCUs to support rapid prototyping for future high-performance ECUs and regional zonal controllers, and achieve real-time performance, with flexible features, and reconfigurable hardware that allows seamless integration with various Arm-based CPUs. Additionally, its peripherals leverage existing automotive MCUs to serve as external communication and networking interfaces. It empowers developers to analyze workloads and develop applications during the transition to E/E architectures. S2C's robust prototyping system, also demonstrates the migration steps, advantages, and supporting resources required to make a simple and seamless transition to the Arm architecture.

Through a partnership with Xylon, the hybrid prototyping solution incorporates a high-speed bus interface IP that is fully compatible with automotive MCU chips, enabling seamless expansion of common automotive peripherals. Additionally, ZC Technology has developed an AUTOSAR CP-compliant multi-core real-time operating system and communication protocol stack, along with two powerful tools: the ZC.MuNiu configuration toolchain and the ZC.XuanWu performance monitoring tool. The MuNiu toolchain, based on the AUTOSAR ARTOP architecture, supports communication, diagnostics, network management, and software update protocols for multiple OEMs. Meanwhile, XuanWu offers robust diagnostic module solutions tailored for automotive electronic applications. These solutions encompass program updates, diagnostics, and automated testing, while also offering customized services to accommodate various application scenarios for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The tool enables users to perform diagnostics and testing seamlessly in laboratory environments, on test vehicles, and in real-world applications. From operating systems to configuration tools and performance monitoring solutions, ZC Technology's comprehensive expertise in full-stack development is fully demonstrated.

S2C Teams Up with Ecosystem Partners to Innovate Automotive Development

ZC Technology, a high-tech enterprise specializing in foundational automotive software, has pioneered the development of China's first AUTOSAR-based foundational software platform. In the context of the global transition toward electrification, connectivity, intelligence, and software-defined vehicles, ZC Technology provides high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective software solutions for the automotive industry.

"We're excited to partner with S2C, a global leader in FPGA prototyping solutions," said Zhiqiang Zhang, Vice General Manager at ZC Technology. "S2C's deep expertise in prototyping has earned the trust of numerous customers. Together, we're delivering powerful evaluation and development platforms that accelerate time-to-market for automotive electronics, while driving the SDV revolution. With our shared technical expertise and vision, we're confident that this partnership will play a key role in the continued growth of the automotive electronics industry."

"Xylon is a leader in design services and optimized IP cores for automotive vision and interface applications, supporting prototyping and production designs based on programmable FPGAs and SoCs. Our logiRHSIF high-speed serial communication IP ensures seamless integration of FPGA-implemented peripherals with Renesas MCUs. Additionally, other communication IP cores in our portfolio enable future compatibility with a range of popular MCUs," said Davor Kovacec, Xylon CEO. "I am confident that our strong partnership with S2C, Arm, and ZC will enhance and amplify the value of the reference design, ultimately accelerating customers' software-defined vehicle (SDV) development."

"Virtual prototyping solutions empower developers to design vehicle systems before physical hardware is available and this is increasingly important to deliver the advanced user experiences demanded by drivers today," said Suraj Gajendra, vice president of automotive product and software solutions at Arm. "By delivering a hybrid prototyping solution, developers are accessing the critical functional safety and real-time features of Cortex-R52+ earlier in the development process streamlining innovation for SDVs and providing opportunities for greater differentiation for automakers." By working with ecosystem leaders like Arm, Xylon, and ZC Technology, S2C offers customers a reliable and efficient platform to navigate the complexities of modern automotive development.

Looking ahead, S2C remains committed to advancing the automotive sector through fostering open partnerships and delivering cutting-edge solutions. Through continuous technological innovation, S2C is poised to shape the future of automotive electronics and contribute to the sustainable growth of the industry.

For more information, please visit: www.s2cinc.com