STMicroelectronics and Mobileye today announced that the two companies are co-developing the next generation of their System-on-Chip processor for the vision-based driver-assistance segment of the automotive market. The EyeQ3 and EyeQ3-Lite will be the first members of a third-generation family in the successful co-operation, which began in 2005, between ST and Mobileye. The EyeQ1, the first generation of the processor, is now in production at several car makers and offers market-leading functions to drastically reduce the number of accidents. The EyeQ2 has recently entered into production in the new Volvo S60 sedan-car series with additional launches of EyeQ2-based systems expected in the coming months from several car makers.
For the EyeQ3, the two companies are co-developing an even more powerful evolution of the processor architecture for next-generation advanced active-safety products. The new-generation device will be six times more powerful than its predecessor to meet demands for increased resolution to distinguish objects even better than before, in addition to the increasing drive for extra functionality. Design of the EyeQ3 is already underway and stress-test qualification, according to AEC-Q100, is planned within 2013. Already, Mobileye and ST have gained a couple of design wins for the EyeQ3 from global OEMs, for a full range of functions. Production is expected to start in 2014.