Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/565949
22 The PCB Magazine • September 2015 may soon become a thing of the past, and that is only the next step. The rapidly moving world of auto connectivity is moving more quickly than the typical four- to five-year development cycle of new cars. Because of this, carmakers can- not keep up with the overall development and progress regarding the capability and power of electronic components and systems. For years, automakers resisted this, but that's changing. Industry experts say their surveys indicate most consumers think that's OK, as they want their car to act as an extension of their phone for mu- sic, contacts, navigation, and more. As the I-Connect007 group has increased its consumer electronics coverage over the last year, we have come to realize that our readers are very interested in many aspects of the end- user market. Cell phones, tablets and PCs of course and now also drones, sports cams, etc., but also the new and rapidly advancing fields of advanced automotive electronics (and not just GPS and Bluetooth cell phone connectiv - ity) are topics that have garnered a great deal of interest; but what is coming in automo- tive electronics has the potential to eventually dwarf them all. The road will be long, however, due to the life cycle of a vehicle being signifi- cantly longer than a cell phone or tablet. And yet, one has to ask how long before it is no lon- ger cool to replace your phone every few years, but keep it over a reasonable life cycle just as you do your car. So who are some of the key players to watch? In this article, I'll focus on one well-known com- pany who is a major player in designing hard- ware and software for the auto manufacturers: NVIDIA. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the NVIDIA facility in Santa Clara, California, where I was treated to a detailed presentation and first-hand demonstration of their latest technology, and software, including the effect on targeted applications. I also had a chance to ask a number of questions of the NVIDIA team. While much of what I have learned is incorpo- rated in this article, some of the questions, as well as the team's replies, deserve a standalone view, so I have included an excerpt of our Q&A session, which appears further below. NVIDIA: Truly Driving Innovation Anyone who has any interest in or need for modern computer graphics, be it for gaming, engineering design or even creating art using a computer, knows NVIDIA. Over the last decade they have arguably become the most innova- tive and therefore, in the opinion of most of us, the leading computer graphics hardware chip designer and supplier, globally. The vast ma- jority of advances made in graphics processing units (GPU) available are, in fact, available be- cause NVIDIA keeps pushing the performance and capability envelope. Things are changing, however, regarding the end markets. Comput- ers and computer display graphics are becom- ing only one market segment than can be ad- dressed by this company in what is becoming a much larger universe. The same innovative spirit that made NVIDIA the leading GPU chip company has driven them to peruse advances in the technology required AuTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGy continues FEAturE