[Smart car pie news] "chip famine" in the automotive industry has been going on for a while, and it is not expected to usher in much improvement in a short period of time. Hyundai expects chip shortages to ease in the second half of the year, but at the same time, the company is working on various ways to reduce disruptions caused by its manufacturing operations.
Modern cars
According to a recent report, South Korea is conducting a series of tests to determine whether home appliance chips can also be used in cars. Demand for home appliance IC controllers is not as strong as for automotive chips, so in theory, Hyundai can secure the necessary inventory to sustain production.
Needless to say, the company's approach only applies to certain functions of its cars, since the main system installed on modern vehicles requires special controllers made specifically for vehicles. These chips are designed to operate under extreme conditions and comply with safety standards, guaranteeing their performance in any case. So now, Hyundai is trying to figure out if home appliance chips can be used for less critical systems, such as headlamps and taillights. If so, the company could reduce the number of automotive chips used per vehicle, ultimately reducing the impact on its manufacturing operations.
At this point, a decision on this has yet to be made, but Hyundai will not be the first automaker to generate such an idea. Nissan has explored a similar approach, and if South Korea eventually embraces this strategy, there is no doubt that other automakers will follow suit.
If cars can really use home appliance chips, in the case of the epidemic situation, the demand for home appliance chips soars is only a matter of time, so if the inventory of the home appliance industry is also limited, don't be too surprised. In other words, what appliances do you want to buy in recent times?