Infineon Technologies is expanding its microcontroller portfolio to support the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs), other software-defined systems and Physical AI applications. The company has introduced AURIX RC1, a new microcontroller platform designed for real-time computing and control in automotive and other applications. It is the first platform in Infineon’s AURIX family to use the open-standard RISC-V instruction set architecture. The platform will offer products ranging from traditional microcontrollers to advanced devices that combine microcontroller and microprocessor capabilities. These solutions are designed to deliver efficient computing while supporting safety and cybersecurity requirements in next-generation vehicles and intelligent systems. Infineon will present the AURIX RC1 family concept at electronica 2026 in Munich, taking place from 10 to 13 November. The company plans to provide samples in the first half of 2027.
“Delivering vehicles and other physical systems that become smarter, safer and more efficient over time through new software fundamentally changes the requirements for the computing hardware,” said Peter Schiefer, President of the Automotive Division at Infineon. “Microcontrollers need to become more configurable, scalable, and adaptable while maintaining highest safety and security levels as applications evolve. AURIX RC1 combines the flexibility of the open standard RISC-V with decades of Infineon expertise in providing dependable execution of safety-critical tasks in real time. Our ambition is to redefine real-time compute and control for software-defined vehicles and extend this to Physical AI.”
Accelerating SDV development with a common RISC-V foundation
In software-defined vehicles (SDVs), many functions that were previously managed by separate electronic control units (ECUs) are increasingly being brought together in central vehicle computers and zone controllers. AURIX RC1 aims to simplify the development of these systems by providing engineers with a common microcontroller platform instead of requiring different solutions for each vehicle function. The new platform combines key capabilities of Infineon’s existing AURIX and TRAVEO T2G microcontroller families into a single product generation. It is designed to support a wide range of automotive applications, including zone and body control, chassis systems, battery management, powertrains, driver assistance safety systems and vehicle cockpits. This common platform also provides scope for integrating functions across different vehicle domains.
The modular nature of RISC-V allows Infineon to optimize individual lineups of the AURIX RC1 family for specific applications while simultaneously leveraging the advantages of a common foundation across the entire family. Processing resources can be tailored to the specific needs of each application. Combined with application-specific power management capabilities, this helps to balance performance requirements and energy consumption. At the same time, software, tools, and expertise developed for one domain can be reused and scaled across others, helping shorten development cycles and accelerate innovation.
Extending MCUs to hybrid MCU/MPU architectures
Depending on the application, AURIX RC1 will integrate up to 12 32-bit processing cores, an advanced parallel processing unit for edge AI and up to 40 megabytes of embedded memory. Furthermore, Infineon is planning to introduce a product lineup within the AURIX RC1 family that extends the traditional microcontroller domain with additional 64-bit microprocessor capabilities. This will allow Infineon to further scale computing performance as the trend to consolidate more functions in central computers continues.
In addition to higher computing performance, functional safety, future-proof cybersecurity and high-speed in-vehicle networking are foundational requirements in software-defined vehicles. AURIX RC1 is designed to support applications up to the highest automotive safety level (ASIL D) and features cybersecurity mechanisms that meet global standards and regulations such as ISO/SAE 21434 and the Cyber Resilience Act. The microcontroller platform provides hardware mechanisms for a high level of physical protection and crypto-agility and is ready to support also evolving security requirements of the future such as post-quantum cryptography.
To efficiently move data across the vehicle, the product family supports state-of-the-art communication standards such as CAN-XL, 10BASE-T1S and multi-Gigabit Ethernet. On selected devices, this includes integrated BRIGHTLANE Ethernet switching technology and hardware-accelerated data routing. Bringing together control and communication, this helps to reduce the number of necessary external components as well as workload on application processors.
Infineon supports AURIX RC1 with a complementary scalable portfolio of matching OPTIREG power supply solutions, providing a seamless and optimized power management offering across the platform.
Software ecosystem helps accelerate adoption and simplify migration
AURIX RC1 is supported by the most comprehensive software ecosystem in AURIX history, the DRIVECORE ecosystem. Combining software from Infineon and from ecosystem partners into pre-integrated software bundles, DRIVECORE helps customers accelerate software development and reduce migration effort when transitioning from existing AURIX and TRAVEO T2G platforms to AURIX RC1.
DRIVECORE provides support for AUTOSAR, open-source software, functional safety and cybersecurity. Virtual prototyping allows teams to begin software development and validation before hardware availability, while AI-assisted migration tools simplify software porting and help preserve existing software investments.
Over the past years, Infineon has established a leading position in advancing automotive RISC-V. The company fosters industry collaboration to accelerate ecosystem readiness and adoption of open standards for automotive real-time compute. As a premium member of the RISC-V International association and a founding member of the joint venture Quintauris, Infineon is working closely with industry leaders across software, tooling, middleware, virtualization, and system development to help establish common industry foundations, improve interoperability, and accelerate the availability of production-ready automotive RISC-V solutions. This provides customers with greater software portability, ecosystem choice, and long-term scalability.
Infineon at electronica 2026
At this year’s electronica in Munich, Germany, Infineon showcases semiconductor innovations and system solutions for the AI era. As intelligence moves beyond the cloud and into machines, vehicles, industrial systems and everyday devices, technology from Infineon helps machines sense, process, connect and act in a safe, secure and energy- efficient way. At electronica 2026, Infineon will show technologies for Physical AI in robotics, for intelligent edge devices, software-defined electric vehicles, and future power supply from renewable power generation to AI data centres. Infineon will present innovative and energy-efficient solutions for an increasingly intelligent and connected world from November 10 to 13 in Hall C3, Booth 502.
