Renesas Electronics Corporation and China FAW Group Corporation (FAW), a leading automotive maker in China, announced the establishment of a joint laboratory in Changchun, China, effective December 1, 2020. The laboratory will enable FAW to build its development platform for intelligent driving and allow the two companies to jointly develop electronic control units (ECUs) for systems including autonomous driving, intelligent cockpit, powertrain and body control. The first set of new solutions developed in the joint laboratory will be applied to FAW's flagship brand Hongqi.

FAW is committed to developing the next generation of intelligent and connected vehicles that meet needs for connectivity, automation, shared/social and electrification. To realize smart mobility, FAW strives to continuously improve its independent development capabilities by building its own intelligent driving development platform based on the high-performance automotive central computing unit. As the leading supplier of automotive processors, Renesas offers proven high-performance semiconductors as well as market-proven expertise for smart mobility. Based on Renesas automotive processors, including the RH850 Family of microcontrollers (MCUs), R-Car system-on-chips (SoCs), and power and analog devices, the companies will jointly develop a complete automotive controller development platform that meets the industry’s stringent functional safety and security standards required for FAW’s Hongqi vehicles.

“Since 2006, Renesas and FAW have nurtured a long-term relationship through technological collaboration, working together and sharing technological expertise and intellectual properties to expand vehicle innovation for the automotive market in China,” said Tomomitsu Maoka, Senior Vice President, Automotive Solutions Business Unit at Renesas and Chairman of Renesas Electronics China. "I am excited to see the establishment of our new joint laboratory based on the long-term mutual trust developed through this relationship; I believe our collaboration will drive further development and innovation for China’s automotive industry."

“FAW is committed to strengthening independent development capablities for new intelligent, connected vehicles,” said Li Dan, Vice President of China FAW R&D Center, Dean of Intelligent Connected Development Institute. “The in-depth cooperation with Renesas, a trusted supplier of leading automotive processors with excellent technological expertise, will no doubt enrich semiconductor device options for our intelligent driving development platform and strengthen our ability to define automotive architecture and requirements for China’s automotive market. The joint laboratory will play an important role in the development and commercialization of ECUs, and we will strive to bring the ultimate driving experience to end users."