The launch of Xiaomi’s next-generation electric vehicle, the YU7, with a consumer-grade processor has reignited a major debate in the automotive industry. Li Fenggang, Deputy General Manager of Sales at FAW-Audi, shared a video statement highlighting the differences between consumer electronics chips and automotive-grade chips, emphasizing the lack of room for experimental applications in vehicles.
The use of a mobile processor in the Xiaomi YU7 has fueled controversy!
This revelation follows the revelation that the Xiaomi YU7’s cockpit system uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Li reminded that automotive chips must pass stringent international certifications such as AEC-Q, ISO 26262, and IATF 16949, while consumer-grade chips are only used in products such as smartphones, computers, and home electronics.
Li noted that vehicles operate in extreme environmental conditions such as high temperature, cold, humidity, dust, and vibration. Therefore, automotive chips must be able to operate smoothly between -40°C and 150°C. In contrast, consumer-grade chips can only operate between 0°C and 70°C. Furthermore, automotive hardware is expected to last 10-15 years, while the lifespan of consumer chips is limited to 3-5 years.
Li also emphasized the importance of chip safety, emphasizing that while mobile devices can tolerate up to 500 failures per million units, this rate should be below 1 PPM in vehicles. A noteworthy detail among the controversy sparked by the Xiaomi YU7’s launch was the fact that while the vehicle’s cockpit uses a consumer-grade Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the included tissue box is designated as “vehicle-grade.”
However, the use of consumer-grade chips in automotive applications isn’t unique to Xiaomi. Tesla began using similar chips about 10 years ago and subsequently faced major recalls due to overheating. The YU7’s sales success has revived the question, “Should a consumer-grade chip manage the cockpit in smart vehicles?”
Professor Zhu Xichan of Tongji University’s Faculty of Automotive Engineering stated that there are approximately 1,000 chips in a car and that chips used in modules that directly impact life and property safety must have functional safety certifications such as AEC-Q100 and ISO 26262.
He stated that for modules that do not directly impact safety, only AEC-Q100 environmental testing may be sufficient. Considering that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip was released in October 2023, it is estimated that it would normally take a year to achieve full automotive certification. This suggests that Xiaomi is directly using the chip before the certification process is completed.
It is also known that some manufacturers prefer these types of consumer chips for applications that do not directly impact safety due to their higher advanced and lower cost. However, experts agree that chips that do not pass the AEC-Q100 test cannot be considered automotive-grade.
