Yuichi Motohashi. Dep. Director / Global Segment Lead, Automotive Display, Camera, LiDAR & SerDes, GlobalFoundries 

As the automotive industry accelerates toward a future defined by digital experiences and intelligent mobility, the role of semiconductor innovation has never been more critical. At the recent SID Business Conference, Yuichi Motohashi, Global Segment Lead for Automotive Display, Camera, LiDAR & SerDes at GlobalFoundries (GF), shared a compelling vision for how purpose-built semiconductor technologies are enabling the evolution of in-vehicle displays.    

The display-driven transformation of the cabin 

Modern vehicles are rapidly transforming into digital cockpits. From driver instrument clusters and center information displays (CID) to co-driver screens, e-mirrors and rear-seat entertainment systems, the number and area of automotive displays is growing exponentially. This shift is not just about aesthetics—it’s about delivering immersive, intuitive and safe user experiences. 

But automotive displays aren’t like any other consumer displays. They demand: 

• High brightness (800–1000 nits) for visibility in sunlight 

• Extended reliability under extreme conditions (up to 105°C) 

• Longer lifespans (5–10 years) 

• Automotive specific quality requirements such as IATF 16949 and ISO 26262 (functional safety) 

• Custom form factors tailored to OEM needs 

From fragmented screens to seamless experiences 

Featured below, the evolution of display architecture in vehicles reflects a broader trend toward integration and immersion: 

• Traditional architecture: Vehicles have historically used multiple small displays, each powered by its own electronic control unit (ECU). This setup offers flexibility but lacks cohesion. 

• Integrated displays under one large lens: Today’s mainstream design integrates multiple displays under a single lens, offering a more immersive experience while allowing OEMs to mix and match panel specifications like resolution and contrast. 

• Single large panels: Luxury vehicles are beginning to adopt large, curved single-panel displays. These offer a seamless, futuristic look and simplify the supply chain, but they also introduce challenges like higher costs, lower panel yields and potential single points of failure.  

• Future vision – free-form panels: The next frontier is free-form, ultra-wide panels that span the entire dashboard. While not yet widely available, these displays promise unmatched design freedom and user experience—requiring deep collaboration between OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers and panel manufacturers.  

These architectural shifts are driving a parallel transformation in electronics from distributed ECUs to centralized infotainment domain controllers, demanding higher bandwidth, lower latency and more efficient power management to handle multiple applications — such as the instrument cluster, climate control and audio control — onto one centralized ECU. 

GF’s semiconductor solutions: purpose-built for automotive 

GlobalFoundries is uniquely positioned to meet these demands with its market-driven, application-specific platforms that deliver value in four key areas: 

• High-voltage and low-power platforms (e.g., 55HV, 40HV, 28HV, 22FDX+HV) 

• Advanced memory integration for local dimming and non-uniformity compensation (De-mura) 

• Superior transistor matching for precision analog performance 

• Automotive-qualified nodes from 180nm to 12nm 

As the automotive industry accelerates toward immersive, integrated in-cabin experiences, display technologies like TDDI (Touch and Display Driver Integration) and LTDI (Large Touch Driver Integration) are becoming pivotal. GlobalFoundries is at the forefront of this transformation, offering purpose-built semiconductor solutions that address the unique challenges of these advanced display systems.  

TDDI, often used in small to medium displays, integrates the timing controller (TCON) and touch interface, enabling full array local dimming (FALD) architecture and streamlined signal processing. High-speed interfaces like eDP are now built into TDDI, requiring efficient transistors that offer both speed and low power consumption. 

For ultra-wide, high-resolution displays—such as those exceeding 15 inches—LTDI steps in, requiring multiple cascaded drivers and separate timing controllers. GF’s differentiated process technologies, including 40HV and 28HV platforms, deliver the high-density logic, low-leakage SRAM and precise analog performance needed to support these complex architectures.  

With innovations like 34V high-voltage support in 40HV generation 2 and superior transistor matching in 28HV, GF ensures that its TDDI and LTDI solutions meet the stringent demands of automotive environments—ranging from extreme temperatures to long product lifecycles—while enabling sleek, seamless and safe user experiences. 

With that, GF’s AutoPro™ platform ensures quality and reliability across the entire lifecycle—from design enablement and IP to manufacturing control and certification (IATF 16949, ISO 26262, AEC-Q100). 

Looking ahead 

As display technologies continue to evolve, the semiconductor industry must keep pace. GlobalFoundries is not just keeping up—it’s leading the charge through it’s commitment to innovation, reliability and customer collaboration.,  With a global manufacturing footprint spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia, GF is a trusted and reliable source for customers around the world. 

Partnering with GF means more than access to cutting-edge technology—it means a shared vision for the future of mobility.  

For more information on how GF can help build advanced display devices, you can contact us anytime through gf.com or reach Yuichi Motohashi at [email protected]. 

Yuichi Motohashi is the Deputy Director of End Markets at GlobalFoundries, responsible for leading the global segment in automotive cameras, LiDAR, SerDes and displays, which facilitate next-generation ADAS, autonomous driving and enhanced in-cabin experiences. 

Bridging the gap between academia and industry in semiconductor innovation 

Behind every technological breakthrough is cutting-edge research and development happening on the grounds of universities and research institutions. Semiconductors are no exception as the relentless demand to optimize performance, maximize power efficiency and reduce costs requires constant innovation at the intersection of science and engineering.  

In fact, these academic-industry collaborations have deep roots, dating back to the 1940s. At Purdue University, physicist Karl Lark-Horovitz led pioneering work on germanium crystals, advancing rectifier technology for radar technology and laying critical groundwork for the invention of the transistor. 

Through its University Partnership Program, GlobalFoundries is bridging this gap between academia and innovation to power the next wave of chip innovation. GF’s university network is comprised of collaborations with over 80+ universities, 110+ professors and 600+ students at leading institutions across the globe, driving innovation to push the boundaries of what is possible in semiconductor R&D. 

Visionary research born in Princeton’s lab 

A shining example of this comes from Kaushik Sengupta, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University. Within the four walls of the laboratory, Professor Sengupta and his intellectually diverse team of PhD and post-doctoral students are all in on next-generation, state-of-the-art wireless sensing communication. Their groundbreaking efforts in enabling the first AI-enabled radio and millimeter-wave frequency chips earned them the prestigious IEEE IMS Advanced Practice Paper Award back in 2022 [1] and the Best Paper Award in 2023 in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits [2]. 

With this technology at the heart of critical applications including automotive radars, autonomous systems and robotics, Sengupta and his team are dedicated to researching the future of intelligent environments and the wireless interfaces behind the scenes that enable these advancements. Before the rise of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT to the mainstream, this team was working on AI-enabled radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) poised to revolutionize the industry. 

The leap of AI in redefining RF circuit design 

Traditionally, designing these circuits has been an art, requiring extensive experience and iterative design processes that can take several months. “RFIC design sits at the intersection of circuits and electromagnetics. As you have to jump between these multiple dimensions, it becomes a really complex design process,” explains Sengupta. On top of that, these circuits operate at very high frequencies, making even the smallest parasitic elements extremely significant. 

Inspired by the advances in AI as seen in other scientific fields like protein folding, Professor Sengupta and his team set out to accomplish how they could change this paradigm by leveraging AI to algorithmize the design process. By training custom AI algorithms on curated data sets, they hoped to identify new, undiscovered RF circuits and electromagnetic passives and allow rapid end-to-end design of RFICs, reducing time of design from months to days. 

The GF chips turning research into reality 

This is when Professor Sengupta’s research team approached GF with their visionary idea. GF recognized the novelty of this approach and supported the research by supplying its best-performing silicon germanium technologies, especially as Professor Sengupta’s AI-driven methodology for RFIC design complemented the efforts of GF’s Reference Design team, which is deeply focused on applying AI and ML to accelerate design productivity and enhance the quality of next-generation RF solutions. 

Across the world through the GlobalShuttle Multi-Project Wafer Program, GF is empowering startups, researchers and system innovators to bring differentiated chip designs to life more efficiently and affordably. By aggregating multiple projects onto a single wafer, GlobalShuttle lowers the barriers to custom silicon with scalability and flexibility, allowing partners to bring their design visions to life while avoiding the cost-limitations of test silicon.  This program enabled the researchers at Princeton to demonstrate the feasibility of their design concepts and secure grant funding for their continued efforts.  

The AI-created circuit designs break new ground 

The results were nothing short of revolutionary, as the team successfully fabricated the first deep learning-enabled high-frequency transmitter system using GF’s silicon germanium 9HP platform. The AI-designed circuits feature extremely complex structures that defy conventional understanding of the field. “The electromagnetic structures that came from these AI algorithms looked like very complicated QR codes,” said Professor Sengupta. By looking at it, nobody can tell what it does. However, once you add those circuit elements, the entire circuit works exceptionally well. “What this does is universalize RF circuits and RF passives. All we now have to figure out is how these active devices are connected with passives.” Since then, the group has demonstrated several advancements demonstrating AI-enabled synthesis of multi-port structures, passives, antennas [3] and even end-to-end power amplifiers with both circuit and passive co-design [4]. 

As a result of these efforts, the viability of these AI-designed circuits has drawn significant attention from academic, industrial and government counterparts. The project has led to numerous publications, and more notably, was selected as one of three “AIDRIFC” awardees to receive $30 million in funding from the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). What started as an intellectual curiosity has now become a research field of its own, with several leading research groups demonstrating state of the art AI-enabled RFICs. 

Recognizing the people powering the future of the industry 

The success of Professor Sengupta and his team is just one example of how meaningful collaboration between academia and industry is accelerating innovation in semiconductors. This isn’t just a story about providing researchers with the tools and support they need to innovate. It’s a spotlight on the people co-innovating to push the boundaries of what is possible. 

Today, circuit design isn’t an isolated discipline. It intersects with packaging, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, algorithm signal processing and more. As with many other fields in the semiconductor industry, circuit design has grown to be a diverse and multi-disciplinary field. Continued advancement requires the cultivation of a strong pipeline of talented individuals who will drive the industry forward. 

As GF’s University Partnership Program continues to grow, it’s not only powering groundbreaking innovations – it’s shaping the next generation of engineers to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. 

References: 

[1] Z. Liu, E. A. Karahan and K. Sengupta, “Deep Learning-Enabled Inverse Design of 30–94 GHz Psat,3dB SiGe PA Supporting Concurrent Multiband Operation at Multi-Gb/s,” in IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 724-727, June 2022, doi: 10.1109/LMWC.2022.3161979 

[2]  E. A. Karahan, Z. Liu and K. Sengupta, “Deep-Learning-Based Inverse-Designed Millimeter-Wave Passives and Power Amplifiers,” in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 58, no. 11, pp. 3074-3088, Nov. 2023,  doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2023.3276315. 

[3] Karahan, E.A., Liu, Z., Gupta, A. et al. Deep-learning enabled generalized inverse design of multi-port radio-frequency and sub-terahertz passives and integrated circuits. Nat Commun 15, 10734 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54178-1. 

[4] J. Zhou, E. A. Karahan, S. Ghozzy, Z. Liu, H. Jalili and K. Sengupta, “25.3 AI-Enabled Design Space Discovery and End-to-End Synthesis for RFICs with Reinforcement Learning and Inverse Methods Demonstrating mm-Wave/sub-THz PAs Between 30 and 120GHz,” 2025 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), San Francisco, CA, USA, 2025, pp. 1-3, doi: 10.1109/ISSCC49661.2025.10904600. 

Sudipto Bose, Vice President of Automotive at GlobalFoundries 

We often hear modern vehicles described as “smartphones on wheels.” But perhaps a better analogy is a human. Just as we use our senses to understand and react to the world – to see, to hear, to touch, to feel – today’s vehicles depend on an array of sensors to navigate the world around them. Cameras, radars, lidar and ultrasonic sensors work together to power advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), enabling a safer driving experience and laying down the foundation for the future of autonomous vehicles. 

We spoke to Sudipto Bose, GF’s Vice President of Automotive, to dig into how ADAS has transformed since its inception, the forces propelling innovation forward and how GlobalFoundries is innovating in partnership with customers and automotive leaders to support the future of safe driving. 

Tell us about how ADAS has evolved over the years. What did it look like when it first began, and what does it look like now? 

These systems’ smart safety features in your vehicle – known as ADAS – have come a long way over the past two decades. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was one of the early pioneers of ADAS, debuting the Distronic adaptive cruise control feature back in 1999. This version of cruise control relied strictly on radar to maintain a certain distance from the car in front of it. Fast forward to today, modern ADAS features are tapping into cameras, lidar and ultrasonic sensors to create a more comprehensive view of the driving environment. 

What began as a system to help with braking or maintaining distance is now evolving into something much more advanced. Now, ADAS features are taking the steering wheel both literally and figuratively, progressing to systems capable of controlling the vehicle with little human intervention. Increasingly, ADAS is not just supporting drivers, but beginning to replace them – signaling a clear shift toward fully autonomous driving. 

You mentioned cruise control moving beyond radar — what kinds of sensors are key to ADAS today, and what role does each one play? 

“Your ADAS is only as good as your sensors.” A phrase you hear often in my industry, but there is plenty of truth behind it. At GF, we play an essential role in enabling the sensing technologies that power ADAS. These sensors are the driving force behind real-time decisions made by cars, informed by the collection and analysis of data that helps the vehicle interpret its surroundings. 

ADAS relies on a combination of sensors, each with a distinct role. The four major types include: 

• Camera: Cameras capture images around the car to determine speed limits, lane markings, turn signals and more. Unlike smartphone cameras designed for human viewing, automotive cameras are optimized for machine vision. So, while cars do not need a 20 megapixel camera to identify whether an object crossing the street is a human, they do need high dynamic range to perform accurately in challenging lighting conditions, whether that is directly facing a setting sun or navigating pitch-black roads. 

• Radar: Drivers do not stop for bad weather — and radar does not either. It accurately detects objects over long distances, even in rain, snow or fog. 

• Lidar: Think of lidar as a laser beam scanning the scene to map out the car’s surroundings. Unlike cameras and radars, lidars excel at object classification, with an ability to differentiate between a pedestrian, bicyclist, animal, car or trash can with high precision. 

• Ultrasonic: Finally, ultrasonic sensors are used in cars to monitor the immediate surroundings of the vehicle, emitting high-frequency sound waves to measure distance to nearby obstacles – like when you hear beeping while reversing into a tight space. 

What forces are driving this continuous innovation in ADAS technology? 

One of the biggest drivers of ADAS innovation is the push for better sensing performance to ensure high-fidelity perception. Every OEM is focused on achieving the best output power of sensors to extend detection range and ensure a clear image of the vehicle’s landscape. 

But it is not just about fidelity — power efficiency plays a crucial role, too. Even small differences in power consumption can have major implications. For example, a sensor operating at too high of a temperature can overheat quickly. When this happens, the sensor shuts down to cool off, then restarts once it is within a more ideal temperature range, repeating over and over. This process— known as duty cycling — reduces the sensor’s uptime and reliability. 

Think about it this way: if you blink every half a second, you miss a lot more of what happens around you than if you blink every 3 seconds. A sensor turning on and off frequently is missing critical information. That is why low-power sensor design is a major area of focus to help sensors stay online longer and deliver more consistent data to the vehicle’s automation engine. 

What are the challenges OEMs are running into when it comes to enabling ADAS features, and how semiconductor technologies are shaping the future of safer vehicles? 

Believe it or not, aesthetics are actually one of the most critical design challenges. The reason for this is that as cars gain more ADAS features to improve vehicle safety, they take up space in the vehicle. If you have ever ridden in a self-driving car like a Waymo, you have likely had an inside look at interior displays. While as a passenger you are likely impressed by the real-time sensor data and the vehicle’s surroundings, these are not necessarily features you would want in your own personal vehicle.  

Let’s face it — no matter how much ADAS improves safety, most people still choose cars based on design and how they look. That puts pressure on automakers to integrate sensors discreetly, driving demand for smaller, seamlessly designed components. 

Technologies like silicon photonics are enabling lidar and radar systems to be integrated onto a single chip, resulting in smaller, less power-hungry sensors. This means manufacturers can add more safety features without compromising design. As the future of vehicles relies not just on adding more sensors, but on doing so elegantly, this is only possible with advanced semiconductor technologies that support high performance in miniaturized form factors. 

Where does GF fit into the picture, and how is it innovating for the future?   

At GF, we are driving the next generation of ADAS by delivering innovation that enables key automotive sensors. For cameras, our 40nm and 22nm platforms provide low-noise performance and high dynamic range to capture accurate visual data in varying light. In radar, our Silicon Germanium 8XP, RF technology and 22FDX® platform support long-range object detection with high fidelity. We are also leveraging silicon photonics on our 45SPCLO platform to combine emission, reflection, and processing on a single chip for lidar, reducing the size of sensors for seamless vehicle integration. 

From global leaders like Bosch, indie semiconductor and Arbe, we are proud to help our customers make next-generation ADAS features a reality. As the industry accelerates towards autonomous vehicles, we are confident our technology will play a critical role in supporting a future of safer, smarter driving. 

Sudipto Bose is the Vice President of Automotive End Market at GF. He leads the Automotive team focused on the key semiconductor trends in the electrified and automated software defined vehicle and formulating GF’s product and commercial strategy in that space.