Digital solutions for the semiconductor industry and its ecosystem

Software is key to tomorrow‘s mobility, manufacturing and healthcare. Increasing connectivity, automation and personalization require robust, scalable software architectures and efficient development environments. As your development partner, we help translate these requirements into a technically sound and systematically engineered software-defined product.

• Integration into customized solutions for software-defined vehicles, industrial sensors, manufacturing equipment or medical devices
• Modern software factories and continuous engineering environments

More about Software-defined Everything

Whitepaper: Optimize development of software-defined products

Embedded solutions rely on highly optimized software ecosystems. We support the standard-compliant development of HAL, BSP and drivers for your semiconductor products to accelerate time-to-market and facilitate adoption.

• Highly customized HAL and BSP development as well as implementation
• Compliant development for electronic components and microsystems, adhering to IEC 60747 and EMC requirements in accordance with IEC 61000
• Compliance with ISO 26262, ISO 21434, IEC 61508, IEC 61511 and related standards

AI at the edge – in sensors, devices or mobile systems – reduces latency, increases energy efficiency and enhances data protection through local processing. We support you from the business strategy for data governance, to system and architecture concepts, AI toolchain integration down to the finalized product with embedded AI.

• Data-driven development processes from rapid prototyping to series deployment
• Scalable data management and robust deployment workflows – from first prototypes to global rollout
• Continuous improvement of individual AI solutions
• Ideation and business case evaluation

More about Edge AI and Embedded AI

Reference designs and evaluation kits speed up integration for OEMs and simplify adoption of controllers and sensors. We help to identify the right concept for target customer groups, build prototypes, control design transfer to series production, and support product lifecycle and updates.

• Reference designs and evaluation kit development from ideation to full kit for different use cases, including rapid prototyping, IC evaluation for HV applications and many more
• Concept definition, prototyping and design transfer into series development
• Lifecycle support including updates, e.g., cyber security patches

FPGA-based workflows enable flexible pre- and post-silicon validation for ASICs and microcontrollers. We support the design process with comprehensive expertise in the areas of digital design, HDL and logic backend tools, and design verification through automated testing.

• Pre-silicon emulation e.g. for real-time software development on SoCs
• Post-silicon validation test suite development
• Support from architecture and hardware selection to implementation, verification and testing

More about FPGA solutions

Solutions such as test benches, advanced test automation, traceability systems and robotics enhance quality assurance, enable end-to-end process transparency and boost throughput in semiconductor equipment and related industries. As an engineering partner, we accompany the entire development process.

• End-to-end engineering from initial analysis and concept development to implementation and smooth operation
• Integrated process perspective beyond isolated test cases
• Alignment with industry-specific standards and regulatory requirements, including machine safety in accordance with IEC 62061, IEC 61508, ISO 13849, and ISO 12100, as well as component qualification

Digital transformation reshapes products, processes and business models across the semiconductor ecosystem. Based on specific challenges, we support companies with a customized strategy – from initial concept through to implementation. 

• Digital strategies for equipment manufacturers
• Organizational transformation to support platform and ecosystem strategies
• Innovation concepts enabled by data analytics and AI-augmented products

More about our consulting services

The Challenge: Strict MISRA requirements and developing MCAL Crypto driver
Our client, a leading semiconductor company, needed to develop new drivers strictly according to MISRA standards for the automotive industry. Simultaneously, an MCAL crypto driver for a security device without HSM had to be realized. This demanded detailed requirements engineering, precise AUTOSAR MCAL design, and an MCAL driver library with eight modules.

Additionally, the existing Complex Device Driver (CDD), originally intended for non-automotive applications, had to be adapted for automotive requirements to reliably map silicon functions in the automotive application layer. High dynamics in the Board Support Package (BSP) and setting up a compatible development environment further increased complexity.

The solution: Expertise, methodological competence & close collaboration
Thanks to our deep AUTOSAR MCAL expertise and targeted AI utilization, we were able to enhance code quality and reduce MISRA warnings to a minimum. Workshops with the client’s team helped identify risks early. Furthermore, seamless interaction with Crypto/SecureIP was ensured. For the migration of the device drivers, we worked closely with the client and their supplier, resulting in an integrated end-to-end solution precisely tailored to critical automotive requirements. A Davinci plugin simplifies the configuration of the MCAL module and code generation.

The added value: MISRA compliance, enhanced flexibility, and future-proof design
Our implementation met the client’s requirements with high-code integrity and minimal MISRA warnings. By adapting non-automotive software components to automotive standards, we achieved reliable system performance. A modular architecture allows for easy implementation of future updates. Automated test protocols ensure robust validation of modules in various environments.

Moreover, the BSP base was optimized for greater platform flexibility and the secureIP stack was restructured. Architecture and design were developed for multicore scenarios, resulting in significant performance gains, including future-proof features like crypto asset management.

The challenge: Project delays due to complex AUTOSAR requirements and radar SoC challenges
Our client, a leading supplier in the automotive sector, faced delays in an important series development project. The reasons were varied, including limited AUTOSAR expertise and challenges integrating the AUTOSAR stack with the SoC. Furthermore, interfaces to the DSP software had to be implemented and the DSP connected to the ARM core, all under high time pressure. Integrating the external flash storage and the lack of a suitable bootloader presented additional challenges.

The solution: AUTOSAR expertise and cooperative collaboration
With our extensive experience in configuring AUTOSAR stacks as well as in embedded development, including the corresponding tools, we took over the technical management of the basic software integration and responsibility for levels SWE1-6 in accordance with ASPICE. In addition to configuring the AUTOSAR stacks, this included integrating standard OEM components, developing the bootloader, and coming up with and implementing a comprehensive security concept. Throughout the project, ITK Engineering’s team worked closely with the client and its OEMs, AUTOSAR stack and hardware providers in order to achieve the optimal results.

The added value: Strengthened trust with OEM and on-time production launch
Our targeted support meant that the project could be put back on track and all relevant development milestones were achieved on time. The planned date for the start of production (SOP) was successfully met. The combination of strong results, reliability and transparency helped strengthen the OEM’s trust in our customer at a management level. Despite falling significantly behind schedule, the project was not stopped, and our client was able to successfully avert the risk of contractual penalties. The OEM assessed the project performance at the basic software level as being benchmark.