On December 22, 2023, the third Industrial Chain Innovation Link Collaboration Development Forum and the New Energy and Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry Development Conference, themed around “New” Journey, “Core” Ecology, and “Innovation” Future, was successfully held, organized by the Hefei Innovation Institute. Dr. Wu Zhongjie, Chairman of MindMotion Microelectronics, was invited to attend the forum at the conference and delivered a keynote speech on the ecological revolution and development trends of automotive-grade control chips.
With the rapid development of the new energy vehicle industry, the market demand for automotive-grade control chips, as core components, continues to grow. However, the current market for domestic automotive-grade control chips is still dominated by overseas giants, leading to increased costs and risks, which have long constrained the technological progress and development of China’s new energy vehicle industry. Therefore, expediting the process of localization and enhancing the localization rate of automotive-grade chips has become an urgent need for industry development.
Dr. Wu pointed out in his speech that in recent years, amid escalating market demands and supply shortages, domestic manufacturers have accelerated their rise. However, the MCU chip market is still highly monopolized by foreign manufacturers. Furthermore, the stringent standards in the automotive-grade market itself and the global trend of counter-globalization pose significant challenges. Nonetheless, the technological transformation in new energy vehicles has provided valuable entry opportunities for domestic manufacturers, leading to a rapid growth prospect in the automotive MCU market.
Established in 2011, MindMotion Microelectronics is a domestic supplier of 32-bit MCU products and solutions in China. The company has mass-produced nearly 300 models of MCU products, delivering over 500 million units cumulatively. In recent years, driven by the wave of chip localization and domestic market demands, MindMotion Microelectronics has actively ventured into the automotive-grade control domain, achieving significant accomplishments.
Dr. Wu revealed that as early as 2019, the company had formed an internal team exclusively dedicated to automotive control chip development. Earlier this year, the MindMotion Automotive-Grade Chip Testing and Verification Laboratory was officially put into operation, providing AEC-Q100 testing verification for product series such as MM32F and MM32A intended for automotive applications. In November of this year, MindMotion Microelectronics officially obtained the ISO 26262 Functional Safety Management System ASIL D certification from TÜV Rheinland Group of Germany.
Regarding MindMotion Microelectronics’ overall layout in the automotive-grade application chip field, Dr. Wu stated that the development plan could be divided into three stages: the preparatory period from 2019 to 2022, which involved three years of accumulation in quasi-automotive-grade and auxiliary application areas; from this year onwards, MindMotion has officially entered the automotive-grade product market, focusing on conquering applications in automotive control, valves, and pumps. Subsequently, the company will gradually improve its product layout in the automotive-grade application chip field, eventually forming a complete product array covering the full domain of automotive functional control. 
In terms of chip categories, MindMotion Microelectronics’ automotive application products are categorized into the MM32F and MM32A series representing automotive conventional functional control chips, multiple MM32SPIN series control dedicated chips designed for automotive motor applications, and future control dedicated chips tailored for automotive signal chain applications. 
Dr. Wu’s speech garnered recognition and attention from the attendees. In the subsequent roundtable discussion, Dr. Wu shared experiences and thoughts on the collaborative development of the new energy and intelligent connected vehicle industry with automotive-grade chips with several industry experts. 
As the new energy vehicle industry rapidly develops and intelligent transformation progresses, in the future, MindMotion Microelectronics will confront challenges directly. The company will continue to deepen its layout in the automotive-grade control chip field, strengthen research and development investments, and firmly promote technological progress and innovative development in the domestic chip industry and China’s new energy vehicle industry.