UAES ZECU Enters Mass Production With Multi-Domain Control

The UAES ZECU, a next-generation electronic control unit from United Automotive Electronic Systems Co Ltd (UAES), has officially entered mass production. The product integrates body control, passive entry and passive start (PEPS), seat, window, sunroof, air conditioning, refrigerator, chassis, and suspension controls, along with eFuse protection. A single controller can handle functions across multiple functional domains, and the product can be adapted to vehicles from different brands and across different trim levels.

Hardware Design and Pin Utilization of the ZECU

On the hardware side, the driver-side and passenger-side ZECUs achieve pin utilization rates of 93.12% and 87.88%, respectively. The driver-side ZECU features a design with more than 300 pins and supports 50 high-side drive channels, 47 half-bridge channels, and 20 PWM input capture channels. These figures reflect the channel capacity available for consolidating multiple vehicle functions into a single controller.

Unified Software Stack and Vehicle Adaptation

In terms of software, United Automotive Electronic Systems Co Ltd equipped the ZECU with a unified low-level software stack and routing mechanism. This enables cross-domain functions to operate in coordination within a single microcontroller unit (MCU). The controller can also automatically identify and adapt to different vehicle configurations by using preconfigured hardware variant information and offline calibration data. In addition, the product supports joint development of application software (ASW) and basic software (BSW) with customers.

Hardware Reliability, EMI Control, and Security

For hardware reliability and safety, the ZECU employs localized electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, low-impedance grounding around the entire perimeter, harmonic suppression, and heat-dissipation openings. Together, these measures mitigate EMI associated with the 1.6 GHz clock signal. The product also incorporates a dedicated security core within the AURIX 2G hardware security module (HSM) and supports a unique-key-per-device debugging scheme.

Cybersecurity and Functional Safety Compliance

United Automotive Electronic Systems Co Ltd designed the ZECU in accordance with the relevant requirements of ISO/SAE 21434 and UN R155, and the product supports functional safety requirements up to ASIL D. ISO/SAE 21434 covers cybersecurity engineering for road vehicles, while UN R155 is the United Nations regulation on cybersecurity management systems.

Industry Impact & Outlook

The start of mass production shows how automotive electronics suppliers are consolidating body, comfort, chassis, and protection functions into fewer controllers that must also meet strict cybersecurity and functional safety expectations. Support for different brands and trim levels could make a single hardware design easier for automakers to deploy across several vehicle programs, while joint ASW and BSW development gives customers room to tailor software. Automakers evaluating centralized electronic architectures, and suppliers competing in the same segment, are the parties most likely to be affected. Further customer program announcements would show how widely the controller is adopted.

Frequently Asked Questions

What functions does the ZECU integrate?
The ZECU integrates body control, passive entry and passive start (PEPS), seat, window, sunroof, air conditioning, refrigerator, chassis, and suspension controls, as well as eFuse protection in one device. A single controller can therefore handle functions across multiple functional domains. It can also be adapted to vehicles from different brands and across different trim levels, which supports use across varied vehicle configurations. The product also supports joint development of application software and basic software with customers.

How does the ZECU handle different vehicle configurations?
The ZECU uses a unified low-level software stack and routing mechanism, which allows cross-domain functions to operate in coordination within a single microcontroller unit (MCU). It automatically identifies and adapts to different vehicle configurations using preconfigured hardware variant information and offline calibration data. The product also supports joint development of application software (ASW) and basic software (BSW) with customers, so teams can align software work with specific vehicle programs. This approach lets the same controller be adapted to different brands and trim levels.

What safety and cybersecurity standards does the ZECU address?
The ZECU is designed in accordance with the relevant requirements of ISO/SAE 21434 and UN R155 and supports functional safety requirements up to ASIL D. It incorporates a dedicated security core within the AURIX 2G hardware security module (HSM) and supports a unique-key-per-device debugging scheme. For hardware reliability, it uses localized electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, low-impedance grounding around the entire perimeter, harmonic suppression, and heat-dissipation openings to mitigate EMI associated with the 1.6 GHz clock signal.