NXP introduces a new Wi-Fi 6E solution, expanding the most complete automotive wireless connectivity portfolio

NXP Semiconductors announces the AW693, a new wireless connectivity solution at the automotive scale. Designed for the car, the AW693 is part of NXP's most complete automotive wireless connectivity portfolio, enabling concurrent dual MAC Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio connectivity, and is protected by NXP's integrated Edgelock security subsystem to provide multiple secure connections in the car. Targeted at telematics and in-vehicle infotainment systems, the AW693 supports connectivity across multiple automotive platforms when combined with NXP's i.MX 8 and 9 series application processors. This not only securely delivers the necessary wireless remote upgrade capabilities, enabling new features and safety enhancements for software-defined cars, but also facilitates secure connectivity between various systems and mobile devices in the car.

Product importance

As automakers shift to software-defined vehicles, secure in-car wireless connectivity is critical to delivering over-the-air remote upgrades (OTAs) that are unique to modern automotive platforms, enabling Oems to deliver new features and security updates without fear of hardware or software tampering. In addition, new and future vehicles will require constant connectivity between vehicle systems, including the secure upload and download of sensor information, camera information, diagnostic data and other functions, as well as communication between the car and mobile devices.

This requires a change in the design of car connectivity that prioritizes low latency, synchronous multi-band connectivity to support old and new devices, and connection stability to allow seamless communication across the vehicle. NXP's automotive wireless connectivity portfolio, including the AW693, recognizes this shift with a wireless router-like design approach, as well as NXP's Concurrent Dual Wi-Fi (CDW), which enables Oems to deliver high-performance connectivity at an optimized solution cost.

Larry Olivas, vice president and general manager of Wireless Connectivity solutions at NXP Semiconductors, said: "Cars are increasingly becoming connected devices, being used as entertainment centers, network access points and more. With our car-centric access point design philosophy and our long history of connectivity innovation, NXP is delivering a range of automotive wireless connectivity solutions to drive the future of the connected car."

Highly integrated connectivity

The AW693 is part of a complete portfolio of automotive wireless connectivity solutions, including the AW692, AW690, AW611 and Q9098, of which the AW692 is Wi-Fi 6 with LE Audio, compatible with the AW693 pin and particularly suitable for the Chinese market applications. The highly integrated AW693 offers concurrent dual MAC Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 plus LE Audio operation, with integrated 2.4GHz and 5-7GHz TX power amplifiers, RX low noise amplifiers, Tx/Rx switches, and a full Bluetooth radio. NXP's integrated EdgeLock security subsystem supports hardware cryptographic-accelerated secure startup, key management, firmware authentication, security lifecycle management, and anti-rollback protection. The AW693 complies with AEC-Q100 Level 2 standards.

Simplify automotive platform development

NXP's automotive wireless connectivity portfolio is designed to expand in combination with the i.MX 8 and 9 series of application processors, including the i.MX 95 series, as the foundation for automotive platforms such as connected domain controllers or infotainment applications. This helps simplify development and reduce costs.