A research team of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) is all smiles as it reveled the successful development of “Aldebaran” a high-performance GHz-class processor that integrates and performs functions for self-driving cars with electricity use of less than 1 watt. (Photo: ETRI)

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) on Dec. 1 announced the successful development of a high-performance GHz-class processor that integrates and performs functions for self-driving cars with electricity use of less than 1 watt. 

Foreign-made processors have dominated the Korean processor market. The processor, dubbed “Aldebaran” will be able to confirm electric glitches such as sudden unintended acceleration with 99 percent accuracy. When it comes to discerning and solving breakdowns, it is an innovative semiconductor technology, the world’s first processor with a built-in chip that checks on its own whether something in a car is out of order, which meets the ISO’s requirements on functional safety.

Compared with foreign counterparts consuming hundreds of watts, the ETRI processor consumes 0.24W on a 1GHz one. If four processors mounted on a chip are operated simultaneously, it can consume less than 1W, demonstrating an energy efficiency rate 100 times more than the former. 

Aldebaran, based on a Quad-Core structure, built by ETRI’s own technology, is characterized by the simultaneous operation of four “Brains” that carry out complicated functions for self-driving cars. 

The processor chip, developed by the ETRI research team, is 7mmx8mm in size, so packaging will enable a reduction of the ECU board to less than 10 cm, small enough to be installed inside future cars.

Self-driving cars are operated by processor chips that analyze information collected through sensors such as images, radar, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and microwaves. If a glitch develops in the processor, it could have a critical impact on the safety of motorists through unintended steering mechanism controls, so the processor’s function in confirming and fixing glitches is essential. 

ETRI expects the processor to be utilized in all electronic parts, ranging from future unmanned cars to robots and electronic gadgets. In particular, the technology comprising intelligent recognition can be applied to all areas where software is used, it said. 

The research team, recognizing the IP design technology as the most important segment of the semiconductor industry, a core of the IT industry, is negotiating with Korean companies on reducing the existing design cost by 25 percent through the Aldebaran. Korea owns a semiconductor technology that processes self-driving car sensors’ data and control them, which will allow Korean companies to no longer depend on foreign-made designs and processors, ETRI said. 

“Of late, ARM, a world-class processor company, has been acquired by Softbank of Japan, and the development of the technology is significant at a time when the processor sector has become a target o attract the great global attention.” said Director Uhm Nak-woong of ETRI ICT Materials and Components Research Institute. 

The development of the technology is owed to the outcome of one decade of research, ETIC said. It was conducted under the Ministry of Science, ICT, Future and Planning’s project to develop intelligent semiconductors and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s project to develop industrial core technologies.

During the research process, the research team submitted SCI-class 10-odd theses, about 100 patents and transferred five technologies. Commercialization of the technology will take place in late 2017.

“With the emerging launch of intelligent information technologies, additional work is under way on how to adopt the processor chip to put and artificial neural core-net and networks.” said Kwon Young-soo at ETRI Processor Research Office. 

The research team is concentrating its capabilities to unify all chips in future self-driving cars in keeping with the global trends. The move is designed to integrate and process all data being collected by all sensors through one chip. 

ETRI has collaborated with Next Chip and Unmanned Solution to develop the chip, and with Samsung Electronics for production of the chip. The processor chip is named after Aldebaran, one of the brightest stars in its constellation. The research team was honored with the presidential award for the development of the processor chip at the 17th Korea Semiconductor Show sponsored by the Korea Intellectual Property office on Nov. 24.