Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1078362
44 SMT007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2019 than our current product. I can shrink almost all of the components that go in it. The board would be my first target. Right now, any ex- ample of a medical device (e.g., pacemak- ers) has shrunk in size by several orders of magnitude in the last two decades. We are on the same path. We are looking at three to five layers, and it has to be automotive grade and withstand harsh-environment testing. Addi - tionally, we have to be ASIL-B certified, which means you have to have an automotive-grade board. Thus, our next-generation product will be ASIL-B certified. Johnson: I take it you mean off of regular FR-4 and onto some of the other, more robust ma- terials. Ramanathan: Exactly. Right now, we use FR- 4 high-temperature boards, and we are always looking for technology that can make our product better with regards to performance and cost. From a layers perspective, I would like to use five or more layers if that helps us reduce the board footprint down. Like all other automotive products, our products must with- stand high-temperature variations, shocks, vi- brations, etc., in case somebody has it in their truck and wants to off-road it. Early-stage com- panies are not the experts in DFM. Offer that service, put a design guideline to support us, and that's how you show that you are a part- ner. For example, help us design it correctly right out of the gate. Provide us with design guidelines. Be a partner. Show an early-stage company how if they do it right, they will come into the RFI/RFQ phase with a leg up against their competition already because they used your design guidelines. A lot of people don't get it. I can- not explicitly say that because I am talking to five or six compa- nies and waiting for them to come back and say, "Here is my design guideline or best practice. I'm giv- ing it to you, and I want to partner with you. Instead of the old-school mentality, I will do the DFM after I get the business." Build the relationship, and they will come to you. Johnson: What you're saying is, "Stop being so transactional. Instead, be more relational." Ramanathan: Yes, because everything is about the relationship. The investors and customers trust you because they have the relationship with you in the initial stage; you're not mak- ing a lot of money, nor are you revenue driven at this point. CMs always think, "If they make money, then I make money. If they don't make money, I lose it." Don't think that way. They might not make money now, but they will soon. Become a partner and start working with them at an early stage. That doesn't mean you should act blindly and just forget about the whole bottom line. Look at the long term. When you invest in something, it's all about long-term growth. Nobody thought that the phone industry was going to be so big. Autonomous driving is on the same path now; it may not be tomorrow, but it's coming. Air taxis are coming. Johnson: AEye is a U.S. company based out of the Bay Area. Is there a preference to stay in the U.S. with your manufacturing? Ramanathan: Yes. I'm very open about it and have been vocal for the past 15 years. Intel- lectual property is what puts us in a better spot. I wouldn't do anything that would com- promise our intellectual property. However, I want cost savings, and I also look at the total cost of supplier ownership. If I make it in the AEye AE200 is a solid-state sensor family for level 3 ADAS applications, and features a software-definable LiDAR unit.