This time, the investment came from Shanghai-based automotive corporation Baolong.
On November 3, 2021, Yuntu Semiconductor closed yet another round of strategic investment – less than three months have passed since the previous funding event. To achieve the mass production of automotive microcontrollers (MCUs), the fresh capital, as per the company's spokespeople, will be mainly allocated to R&D.
In comparison to the consumer tech and industrial MCUs, the automotive MCU design and manufacturing process is much more rigorous. Lengthy developing periods, stringent technical requirements and heavy R&D costs don't seem lucrative to most Chinese chipmakers.
In 2020, Yuntu established its own IC design frameworks for automotive MCUs. With 10 years of MCU developing experience and attained patterns, the core engineering team was confident to mass-produce their first batch of MCUs by the end of November 2021 (link in Chinese).
Along with the progress in the field of smart vehicles, computer and digital controlling systems become more sophisticated. The latest ISO26262 security regulation standard will soon apply to the entire sector. Embracing the challenge, Yuntu is planning to provide sample MCUs in coordination with the latest update next year.