"AutoChips Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NavInfo, and X-FAB Silicon Foundries SE started mass volume production of a highly advanced automotive-grade AC5111 Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) chipset. The chip is designed by the engineering team of AutoChips and manufactured at the facility of X-FAB in Germany.
The automotive industry is transforming towards autonomous mobility and TPMS is an important part of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). TPMS chipsets have tended to only be used in high-end cars, but this large-scale production will drive down costs down and help the technology diffuse to lower-end cars as well. Studies show that 70% of highway accidents in China are caused by tyre punctures, so China has made it mandatory to incorporate TPMS chipset from January 2020 onwards. The domestic production in China will open new opportunities for other chipmakers." – Soumen Mandal