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8 SMT Magazine • September 2015 by stephen Las marias i-connecT007 eDItOr's NOte What's Driving Automotive electronics? Column Cars: the Driving Force in electronics Industry In addition to the increasing penetration of EVs and HEVs, the growing demand for ad- vanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and proliferation of high-end in-car infotainment systems are among the key factors fueling the increase of electronics in cars. According to market analyst Grand View Re- search, the global automotive electronics mar- ket is forecast to reach $279.96 billion by 2020, up from $161.55 billion in 2013—growing at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2014 to 2020. One of the automotive segments that are expected to exhibit high growth is the ADAS, mainly due to stringent safety regulations in modern cars. ADAS, as an array of systems and subsystems that incorporates electronic com- ponents such as sensors, microcontrollers and software under one roof, is forecast to register market growth of 14.9% CAGR from 2015– 2020, according to research firm IndustryARC. I recently interviewed Arthur Tan, president and CEO of Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI)—the 7th biggest automotive EMS provid- er in the world (in terms of 2014 revenues)— about the latest developments in their automo- tive electronics business. Tan said vision system is the key to ADAS; and that while we have safety features such as forward-collision warnings, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and traffic- sign recognition today, the next couple of years will see the development of automated braking, steering with forward vision, and GPS connec- tivity. Tan said that by 2020, cars will be able to accelerate, brake, and steer by itself—but the driver will still be required in case of emergency or system failure. Beyond 2020, driverless cars are expected to be a norm.