[Edaily Reporter SOYEON KIM ] LX Semicon has begun mass production of its automotive semiconductor, the “Motor-Specific MCU (Microcontroller Unit),” and will supply it to HyundaiMotor and KIA CORPORATION. This marks the first achievement in approximately four years for LX Semicon’s automotive MCU business, which the company is cultivating as a new venture. It is particularly significant as it is the first domestically produced MCU to be installed in HyundaiMotor and KIA CORPORATION vehicles.

According to LX Semicon on the 10th, the automotive semiconductor MCU “LX61101” developed by the company is optimized for motor control in automotive body electrical systems. It is a core system semiconductor that controls motor operation by determining the motor’s speed, position, rotation direction, and torque in real time. This product is characterized by its ultra-compact design, excellent performance, and high system efficiency.

In particular, it is equipped with a 40MHz-class ARM Cortex-M3 core, enabling stable and precise motor control. The LX61101 is used in automotive window safety systems (a feature that automatically reopens the window if an obstacle is detected while it is closing) and systems that control vehicle aerodynamics. Starting with its application in vehicles produced by HyundaiMotor and KIA CORPORATION in the second half of this year, the range of vehicle models to which it is supplied is expected to gradually expand.

The LX61101 marks LX Semicon’s first mass-production achievement in the automotive MCU sector, a new business area the company is actively pursuing. LX Semicon has historically focused its business on display integrated circuits (ICs). However, in response to the need to enhance its business portfolio, the restructuring of the global automotive industry’s supply chain, and the growing trend toward electrification, the company has been cultivating automotive MCUs as a future growth engine since 2022.

The LX61101 is the first domestically produced MCU to be supplied to HyundaiMotor and KIA CORPORATION. In March 2023, LX Semicon participated in the selection process for a new supplier of “motor-function-specialized MCUs” for HyundaiMotor and KIA CORPORATION, securing the contract in April of the same year. Following approximately three years of development and quality testing, the company successfully began mass production of the LX61101.

The LX61101 is a model mass-produced with domestic companies participating in the entire supply chain management (SCM) process, from semiconductor design to foundry and back-end processes. The industry views this as the first instance where LX Semicon—South Korea’s leading fabless company—has been organically linked with the country’s leading automakers and the system semiconductor production and back-end ecosystem.

As of this year, the global automotive MCU market is estimated to be worth approximately 15.5 trillion won. An LX Semicon official stated, “We plan to foster our automotive MCU business over the medium to long term, expanding our product lineup beyond control applications to include communications, actuation, sensors, and power management,” adding, “Through automotive semiconductors, we will contribute to broadening the base of the domestic automotive and semiconductor industries.”