Renesas Develops SoC Technologies for Automotive Multi-Domain ECUs

New chiplet, AI, and power control innovations enable scalability and safety for software-defined vehicles

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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Renesas Electronics has developed three new System-on-Chip (SoC) technologies for automotive multi-domain electronic control units (ECUs), featuring advanced AI processing capabilities, chiplet functions, and improved power efficiency and safety. The technologies were presented at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2026 in San Francisco.

Why it matters

As software-defined vehicles (SDVs) become more complex, automotive SoCs require greater performance, scalability, functional safety, and power efficiency to run multiple applications simultaneously. Renesas' new SoC technologies address these critical needs, serving as a core platform for next-generation automotive electrical/electronic (E/E) architectures.

The details

The three new Renesas SoC technologies include: 1) A chiplet architecture that supports ASIL D functional safety by preventing interference between hardware resources; 2) An advanced AI processing design that maintains automotive-grade quality for large neural processing units; and 3) Power control innovations that enable precise power management from milliwatts to tens of watts, while also improving safety through dual-core lockstep and advanced voltage monitoring.

  • The new technologies were presented at the ISSCC 2026 conference in San Francisco from February 15-19, 2026.

The players

Renesas Electronics Corporation

A leading global provider of microcontrollers that empowers a safer, smarter and more sustainable future through its expertise in embedded processing, analog, power and connectivity.

ISSCC 2026

The International Solid-State Circuits Conference, a premier forum for presenting advances in solid-state circuits and systems-on-a-chip.

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What’s next

Renesas' new SoC technologies are being used in the company's R-Car X5H SoC, which will accelerate the evolution of software-defined vehicles while ensuring safety and enabling autonomous driving, digital cockpit, and other advanced automotive applications.

The takeaway

Renesas' innovative SoC technologies address critical performance, scalability, safety, and power efficiency requirements for the next generation of software-defined vehicles, positioning the company as a leader in the automotive electronics transformation.