standardization activity within jaspar - 立命館大学 - …. about jaspar (1) european...

©Institute of International Relations and Area Studies, Ritsumeikan University

Abstract

In the present paper, I firstly give an outline of the activities ofJasPar (Japan Automotive Software Platform and Architecture), aconsortium set up in 2004 to promote standardization in softwareplatform for automotive electronic control systems and in commu-nication protocols; and secondly report on the standardizationactivity of Renesas within JasPar as a supplier of electronicdevices, in particular its upstream activity; and finally come to aconclusion that JasPar is an experimental forum for formulatingstandard to alleviate the expansion of coordination costs associat-ed with integration in the vehicle ECU development process, andthe activities of Renesas in JasPar can be seen as a variety ofproactive initiatives for making this forum advantageous for them.

Keywords:

standardization, Renesas, JasPar, AUTOSAR, Consortium

Standardization activity within JasParInitiatives of Renesas Technology

TOKUDA, Akio*

RITSUMEIKAN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Vol.5, pp.85-105 (2007).* Associate Professor, Faculty of Business Administration

e-mail: [email protected]

1. INTRODUCTION

Yoshihiro Hayashi, senior manager of automotive application engi-neering department 1 of Renesas Technology1) (hereinafter Renesas),which aims to become the leading global manufacturer of automotivesemiconductors in 2009, describes the importance of standardization as abusiness strategy tool in the following terms:2)

“For Renesas, standardization is an opportunity to increase net sales andconstitutes an important factor in terms of business model, cash flow, andprofit. Of course it takes a lot of effort, seemingly with little reward, andsometimes one wonders if there is really going to be a concrete result, butfor Renesas, standardization has nevertheless become an importantstrategic tool”.

The standardization activity of the firm can be divided broadly intotwo types according to its different effect on standardization bodies:upstream activity and downstream activity. The former consists of proac-tive participation in the standardization process, for instance the draftingof specification, while the latter consists of conforming the firm’s productsand services or its business activity to the specification in order to imple-ment them.

In the present paper, I firstly give an outline of the activities ofJasPar (Japan Automotive Software Platform and Architecture),3) a con-sortium set up in 2004 to promote standardization in software platformfor automotive electronic control systems and in communication protocols;and secondly report on the standardization activity of Renesas withinJasPar as a supplier of electronic devices (semiconductors: e.g., micro con-troller), in particular its upstream activity. In an effort to meet its 2009target of becoming number one in sales of automotive semiconductors,Renesas aims to use the standardization activity of JasPar to build a com-petitive advantage of the firm.

RITSUMEIKAN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS86 【Vol.5

1) See: http://www.renesas.com/jpn/. 2) From author’s interview with Yoshihiro Hayashi (December 17, 2004). 3) See: http://www.jaspar.jp/

2. ABOUT JASPAR

(1) European standardization association AUTOSAR

JasPar is a consortium established in September 2004 chiefly throughthe efforts of the automotive assemblers Toyota Motor Corporation andNissan Motor Company.4) JasPar will strive to reduce technology develop-ment costs and promote technology development by encouraging Japanesecompanies to collaboratively develop pre-competitive technologies such asautomotive LAN (local area network) enabling technology, middlewareand software platform. JasPar encompasses not only automobile manufac-turers but also manufacturers of automotive electronic equipment, parts(semiconductor) manufacturers, development tool vendors and softwarehouses.

JasPar is said to have drawn many lessons at the time of its estab-lishment from the activity of the standardization consortium AUTOSAR(Automotive Open System Architecture), which came into being in Europein July 2003. AUTOSAR is a consortium of German origin that aims tobuild a common platform for software development and standardize theinterface between automotive software parts so as to elaborate a compre-hensive open architecture for electric and electronic systems.5) Thefounder members were the automobile manufacturers BMW, Daimler-Chrysler (DC), and Volkswagen (VW) and the unit manufacturers Bosch,Continental, and Siemens VDO.

AUTOSAR members are divided into the categories of core partner,premium member, and associate member, in descending order of theimportance of their role.6) The core partners are drawn mainly from themembership of the predecessor organization of AUTOSAR, HIS(Hersteller Initiative Software: established in 2001), but in 2003 Toyotabecame a core partner, while Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Denso, NEC

Standardization activity within JasPar（TOKUDA）2007】 87

4) The consortium is defined as an association which aims for the common profit of the mem-bers, but which does not aim to distribute surplus profit among members. As of July 2005,the membership consisted of four core partners (Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and ToyotaTsusho Electronics), 29 regular members, 24 associate members, and academic members.

5) H. Heinecke, K-P. Schnelle, H. Fennel, J. Bortolazzi, L. Lundh, J. Leflour, J-L. Maté, K.Nishikawa, T. Scharnhorst, 2004, AUTomotive Open System Architecture - An Industry-Wide Initiative to Manage the Complexity of Emerging Automotive E/E-Architectures,Convergence Transportation Electronics Association. 2004-21-0042

6) AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture, An industry-wide initiative to manage the com-plexity of emerging Automotive E/E-Architectures, AUTOSAR_Light Version_V1.5_f.doc, p.8

Electronics, and Renesas are premium members.It was in July 2004 that Renesas joined AUTOSAR as a premium

member. The immediate trigger for Renesas to take out membership was acall from the AUTOSAR core partner Toyota. It was a Toyota strategy toseek a dominant position in the activity of AUTOSAR by promoting mem-bership among Japanese manufacturers. For Renesas, the call fromToyota, one of its most important customers, helped to overcome the vari-ous in-house obstacles which stood in the way of the new activity.

To become an AUTOSAR member, apart from paying membershipfees, firms are required to appoint two dedicated staff members.AUTOSAR is made up of various working packages (WP), and the mini-mum of two dedicated appointees are required to participate in differentWPs.7) Meanwhile, a point score is awarded based on whether the memberhas experience of supplying parts to an automobile manufacturer, its pro-prietary technology and expertise, to what extent it is able to produceintellectual property (IP) technology, and other factors. This score is usedto make an overall assessment of the extent of its contribution toAUTOSAR. Finally, an interview test is held in the form of a presentationin front of the core partners, the result of which is used to decide the desir-ability of AUTOSAR membership.

(2) Japanese standardization association JasPar

Within the automobile industry, Europe moved faster than Japan tocreate a consortium of the AUTOSAR type to lead the standardizationactivities. In Europe, there is less of a hierarchical relationship betweenautomobile manufacturers and suppliers (including independent unitmanufacturers such as Bosch and Siemens) than in Japan, and the twosides are on a relatively equal footing. Because of this, has standardiza-tion, to some extent, been performed important role by means of mediatetransaction cost between both sides. In Japan, on the other hand, there isa strong trend for cooperative relationships to exist between specific auto-mobile manufacturers and suppliers (e.g., KEIRETSU), and competitive-ness is maintained to some extent by development and optimization ofseparate systems realized through a bottom-up coordinative relationshipbased on the expertise accumulated by the supplier. However, due to rapid


7) As of 2005, each WG meets every other week, usually in Germany, for a 1-night and 2-dayor a 2-night and 3-day session.

advances of the electronics in the automotives, a limit to separate develop-ment has been reached, and the importance of standardization hasincreased.

The standardization activity of JasPar consists of the following threeareas8) (See Figure 1):

① Application programming interfaces9) (API) that activate OS anddevice driver of each ECU (electronic control unit)

② Automotive LAN interfaces (protocol) that connects a number ofECU (e.g. engine control unit, steering control unit, braking con-trol, body control, etc.)

③ Hardware and software interfaces

At JasPar, priority is given to creating frameworks for standardiza-tion activity, with a concrete orientation given by concentration on theongoing joint development of the standard network protocol FlexRay.Renesas is a core participant in FlexRay standardization activity.

At JasPar, it is planned that seven working groups (WG) will ulti-mately be set up. As of 2005, four WGs were active: the FlexRay CircuitWG, Intellectual Property WG, Standardization WG, and FlexRay Wire


8) “Why Toyota and Nissan founded JasPar”, Nikkei Electronics, October 25, 2004, p. 61. 9) API is a device for development of application software that does not need to care about

the differences of OS and device driver.

Competitive areas

Non-competitive areas

Body control ECU Braking control ECUEngine control ECU

FlexRay HW SW API

Figure 1 Areas of JasPar standardization activity

＊Dotted line indicates areas of JasPar standardizationSource: Renesas

WG (see Figure 2). Renesas already participates in the FlexRay CircuitWG and the Intellectual Property WG, and plans to join the FlexRayConformance WG, Automotive LAN WG, and Software WG.

3. BACKGROUND TO ESTABLISHMENT OF JASPAR

Regarding the background to the establishment of JasPar, HiroshiTanigawa, general manager of Development department No.1, IntegratedSystem Engineering Division, Vehicle Engineering Group, at Toyota, whichtook a leading role in the establishment of JasPar, comments as follows:

“Originally, technology-related staff started thinking around 10 yearsago that an organization like JasPar would be a good idea.


Participant

Planned

Planned Planned

Governing board

Toyota, Nissan, Toyota Tsusho Electronics,

Secretariat: Nissan Office: Toyota Tsusho Electronics

Steering Committee: Core members, WG

Automotive LAN WG Software WG Intellectual Property Rights WG Standardization WG

Core member, regular member,

academic member

FlexRay Circuit WG

FlexRay Harness Routing

WG

FlexRay

Conformance WG

Participant

Sponsor: Toyota

Sponsor: Toyota Sponsor Denso

Sponsor: Toyota

Sponsor: Honda

Sponsor: Yazaki Sponsor: Denso

Associate members

Regular member

Figure 2 JasPar organizational chart and Renesas participation

Source: Renesas

Subsequently, the electronification of the automobile progressedrapidly, the automotive industry as a whole was affected by theincreased business impact of electronic technology, human resourceswith detailed knowledge of electronic technology began to be appoint-ed to management, and there was a strengthened move to increasedevelopment efficiency in pre-competitive areas through a process ofgive-and-take. All of this meant that the time had come in terms ofbusiness strategy to address standardization across the industry,which led to the establishment of the organization.”10)

Today, as a background in which automotive manufacturers, unitmanufacturers, and parts manufacturers need to be aware of standardiza-tion in the management of their businesses, at least two steps are beingtaken toward the development of an automobile that fulfills the require-ments of ‘environment-friendliness’ ‘advanced safety’ and ‘riding comfort’,① there has been rapid development in the electronification of the auto-mobile ② coordination of ECUs has become necessary.

(1) Electronification of the automobile

The evolution of the automobile can be described as a process of evolu-tion from mechanical control to electronic control. The automobile is a col-lection of mechanical technologies, but nowadays E/E (electric and elec-tronic)-related costs have risen to 25% of the total in a 2005 mid-rangesedan model and 50% in a large deluxe sedan (IEEE survey).11)

It is now more than twenty years since exhaust gas regulations (1975Muskie Act) led to engine control being carried out electronically. Today,applications using a wealth of electronic equipment have become the normin the control of a range of areas including powertrain, chassis, body, andinformation transmission.

In parallel with the electronification of the automobile, there has beena rapid increase in the number of onboard microcomputers and ECUs.12)


10) From interview of December 3, 2004.11) http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/apr02/ecar.html April 12th, 200212) The first use of a microcomputer in an automobile was in the 1970s. Around that time, the

regulation of exhaust gas began, in response to which microcomputers came into use forengine control. Specifically, for the purpose of exhaust gas reduction, drivetrain electroniccircuits were linked with sensor technology and used to optimize ignition timing andamount of gasoline injected (M, Sato., N, Nishino, ibid.).

In 1998, for instance, domestically produced deluxe sedans made do witharound 30 microcomputers, but this had increased to 50 in 2000, 70 in2004, and 100 in 2006. The amount of software has also grown, withengine-related software expanding from 52KB in 2000 to 1MB in 2004,around 2MB in 2006, and a projected 4MB in 2007-8. How to raise theefficiency of software development, which accounts for more than 80% ofECU development man-hours, and thereby improve cost-competitivenesshas become a pressing issue for automobile manufacturers, unit manu-facturers, and parts manufacturers.13) In connection, the JasPar consor-tium acts as a forum for initiatives on how to make adept use of stan-dards to promote efficient ECU development. Recognizing the need torespond to this new task, automobile manufacturers have chosen to useJasPar in order to standardize ECU software and hardware14) (seeFigure 1 ①③).

The standardization of APIs has allowed automobile manufacturers toreuse their application software which had previously not been mutuallycompatible by ECUs. Additionally, the standardization of the hardware-software interface has made it possible to use OS, middleware and devicedrivers with a number of different alternative hardware applications,which has led to a reduction in the resources required for software devel-opment. Meanwhile, as standardization broadens the range of suppliersfrom which automotive manufacturers can select, it strengthens their bar-gaining power of buyers and can be expected to lead to a reduction of pro-curement costs.

The ECU layers from applications downward, which are pre-competi-tive areas for automobile manufacturers, are however very much competi-tive areas for unit manufacturers and parts manufacturers. Therefore therivalry with other manufacturers is intensifying here. Nevertheless, if afirm can gain a competitive advantage in the pre-competitive areas wherestandardization has taken place, it can look forward to expanding its cus-tomer base beyond its existing range. Especially for overseas-based suppli-ers like Bosch , Siemens, Freescale and so on, there will be an unprece-dented opportunity to break through the barrier formed hitherto by


13) “Why Toyota and Nissan created JasPar”, Nikkei Electronics, October 25, 2004, p. 61.14) Strictly speaking, this means standardizing an interface that allows the ECUs to drive the

same applications even if they have different OSs and CPUs. At the same time, standard-ization of the software itself is also proceeding (see above (2) Coordination between ECUs).

Japan’s hierarchical customer-supplier relationship and expand theirrange of customers. For domestic suppliers, meanwhile, if the harmoniza-tion of standards between AUTOSAR and JasPar proceeds, it will be pos-sible to make economies of scale at a global level.15)

It is through JasPar that efforts have now begun on the part of auto-mobile manufacturers to use standardization activity to respond to thenew management issues presented by the inefficiencies in software devel-opment that have emerged in line with automotive electronification; andon the part of unit manufacturers and parts manufacturers to adapt to theintensified competition accompanying standardization.

(2) Coordination between ECUs

To develop vehicles that fulfill the criteria of ‘environment-friendli-ness’ ‘advanced safety’ and ‘riding comfort’, coordination between ECUs isindispensable. For instance, in Toyota’s development of the ‘environment-friendly’ vehicle “Prius”, coordination of the engine control unit with thebraking control unit and the motor control unit was essential. Also for theradar cruise system which Honda fitted in the “Inspire” and “Odyssey” asa step toward realizing an ‘advanced safety’ vehicle, coordination was nec-essary between the vehicle speed control device, the adaptive cruise con-trol device, the powertrain ECU, and the brake ECU. For the developmentof applications by automotive manufacturers, establishing reliable coordi-nation between separate ECUs has thus become absolutely essential.

Since one or a number of functions is carried by the coordination ofseparate ECUs, it becomes indispensable to undertake mutual standard-ization of the software requirements and electronic platform of the differ-ent ECUs.16) The project currently being driven forward most energeticallyat JasPar for ECU coordination is activity to formulate as a standard theFlexRay next-generation vehicle network protocol which will reliably linkdifferent ECUs (see Explanation below). This amounts to no less than therealization of dispersed-coordination control of ECUs based on automotiveLAN.17)


15) JasPar aims not only to adopt the standards which is decided by AUTOSAR, who hasadvanced in automotive software standardization activity, but also vice versa to proposestandards decided by JasPar to AUTOSAR, thus securing a competitive advantage forJapanese manufacturers.

16) At the same time, rebundling of the required functions may allow a number of ECUs to becombined, for instance in a 3-in-1 module.

*********************************************************************EXPLANATION:

Electronified vehicle control applications are classified broadly intocategories such as body control, powertrain control, and chassis control(security devices: safety/airbag-related), which are structured in layers,with each layer networked (see Figures 3, 4) The reason for the layering isthat it would be inefficient to use the same protocol to handle items withdiffering requirement levels.


17) International standards already exist for the automotive LAN interface specification.These include CAN, which is the current de facto standard, and FlexRay whose formula-tion as the next-generation international standard is in progress. Despite the existence ofsuch standards, the reason that it is cited here as standardization activity is that, at thetime when domestic vehicle manufacturers switched from their respective separate auto-motive LAN interface specifications to CAN, although they had recommended compatibili-ty with CAN, when they installed hardware from a different supplier they sometimesfound that it did not connect. Identification of the cause, analysis and repair exerted pres-sure on ECU development costs. (“Why Toyota and Nissan created JasPar”, NikkeiElectronics, October 25, 2004, pp 61-62). JasPar is reportedly working to coordinate theFlexRay controllers of a number of semiconductor manufacturers including Fujitsu,Freescale, Renesas, and NEC Electronics.

Figure 3 Automotive network protocols

Source: Power Point presentation material by Karen Parnell, Product Manager,Automotive, AMAA Automotive Electronics Digital Convergence – How to Copewith Emerging Standards and Protocols 2004, Berlin, March 26th


Application Body-related Safety-related Powertrain-related Information-related

Main Doors, seats, Airbags, Engine, brakes,

applications air-conditioning,

lighting collision sensors ABS, transmission

Car navigation, car audio

Low-speed LAN Mid-speed LAN Mid- to high-speed

LAN High-speed LAN

Transmission speed

(125kbps or less) (10X kbps to

500kbps)

(500kbps to ca.

10Mbps)

(X Mbps to several hundred

Mbps)

Low-cost Time slot

transmission

Time slot

transmission Real-time data transmission

Copper wire

transmission High reliability High reliability

Optical communication

essential for image data

transmission

Duplex Duplex

Features

Optical transmission

(for high-speed LAN)

CAN (low

speed)

CAN (mid to

high speed) CAN (high speed) CAN (mid speed)

BEAN Safe-by-Wire FlexRay D2B/Optical

LIN BST IE Bus

MOST

IEEE1394

Transmission

protocol

MOST

Figure 4 Features of communication protocols designed for different applications

Source: http://www.renesas.com/jpn/products/mpumcu/specific/can_lin_mcu/carintro.html#

Figure 5 Competition between specifications for automotive network protocol

Source: SAEÅCTechnical Paper Series, 2003-01-0111

According to an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) report, whenwireless communication is included, vehicles need onboard networks in atotal of eight categories for the various applications (Lupini, C. A. 2003,Multiplex Bus Progression 2003, SAE Technical Paper Series, SAEInternational). In each of these networks, intense competition has sur-rounded the standardization of the protocol and OS. For instance, as seenin Figure 5, in the network protocol for body control, the industry onceoffered an array of ten different specifications, but now LIN has becomethe de facto standard. *********************************************************************

In the vehicles of today, the CAN vehicle–specific automotive LANprotocol has become the standard. For network management, however,which relates to the architecture of the whole system, each automobilemanufacturer at present determines its own independent protocol. Inresponse to this, the automotive LAN standardization which JasPar isprogressing involves the development of a software package including pro-tocol requirements based on CAN. The aim is additionally to progressivelyextend standardization to network management while at the same timeintegrating high-speed optical communication and FlexRay specifica-tions.18) Also under consideration is the adoption as standard of “OSEK”, areal-time OS even lighter than LINUX and based on requirements withhigh CAN-compatibility. Automobile manufacturers are thus thinking interms of systems design for the whole vehicle as they involve parts manu-facturers in efforts toward system standardization, taking the initiativethemselves in synchronizing the ECU development process which had pre-viously been the concern of unit manufacturers.

As outlined in the above, at JasPar, ① the progress of electronifica-tion, and ② the need for coordination between ECUs is bringing automo-tive manufacturers together with unit manufacturers and parts manufac-turers at an early stage of the product development process in efforts tostandardize the parts interface and network protocols.


18) The vehicles fitted with FlexRay which are under development now and scheduled formarket release in 2008.

4. STANDARDIZATION ACTIVITY OF RENESAS

Yoshihiro Hayashi describes the strategic aim of the Renesas’s partici-pation to JasPar as follows:

“We are concerned with first-mover advantage. In 2008 to 2009, wethink the time will come when automotive manufacturers will refuse toaccept semiconductors that do not pass the JasPar or AUTOSAR compli-ance test. We want to become the world’s number one or number two inautomotive semiconductors that pass the compliance test and to ship theproducts into the market.”19)

The establishment of standards reduces the uncertainty surroundingthe future value of input factors but at the same time leads to an increasein the number of market participants, so that the factor market becomesmore competitive. The domains affected by JasPar standardization may bepre-competitive areas for automotive manufacturers but for unit manufac-turers and parts manufacturers they are competitive areas in which therivalry with other manufacturers is intensified by the process. In competi-tive areas of this kind, we will now investigate what kind of standardiza-tion activity Renesas is pursuing with a view to securing first-moveradvantage.20)


19) From author’s interview (December 17, 2004). 20) In the case of automotive semiconductors, there is a fixed price reduction every year, for

instance a yearly price reduction of 10% or 5%. Assuming a reduction rate of 10%, if theproduct has a market release price of 1,000 yen, an enterprise which enters the marketafter three years will have to start supplying at a price of 700 yen, and the profit margin isreduced accordingly. Since the first year of mass production is the one with the greatestprofit margin, moving before other companies to release devices which meet the compli-ance test criteria is a necessary condition for securing first-mover advantage.

First-mover advantage may also be significant at the time of semiconductor replace-ment. In the case of automotive semiconductors, there is a period of about three yearsbetween the actual order being placed and mass production beginning, after which supplyoften continues for over ten years. However, there is a limit to semiconductor lifespan, andthe semiconductor process changes around every three years. Therefore, undertaking long-term supply to vehicle manufacturers of the same semiconductor product using the sameprocess has become a problem for manufacturers. The issue of long-term supply appliesequally in the vehicle after-service market. Some European deluxe vehicles have a lifespanof over 20 years. When this kind of vehicle breaks down and there is no stock of replace-ment units, at present the next most suitable part in stock is supplied, but this involvesgreat expenses and labor for maintenance, as for instance tuning has to be carried out andsystem validation has to be repeated from the beginning. One possible solution to this

(Continued on next page)

(1) Participation in diverse consortia

Whether for downstream activity or for upstream activity, in order tocommit oneself to the standardization activity in JasPar, membership ofJasPar is a minimum criterion. Joining JasPar does not involve any explicit-ly stated exclusive commitment.21) After joining, a company does not have toappoint a dedicated member of staff and the membership agreement doesnot make attendance at meetings obligatory. However, in effect, it is expect-ed that a parts manufacturer like Renesas will participate not only inJasPar but also in FlexRay consortia and a range of other consortia, andprovide feedback to JasPar on the results achieved by these other consortia.

The FlexRay consortium was founded in Germany with the aim ofimproving vehicle safety, reliability, and amenity by developing high-func-tion control technology for high-speed communication and establishingFlexRay as the de facto standard next-generation core automotive networkprotocol to replace CAN. Like AUTOSAR, the FlexRay consortium has amembership structure consisting of core members, premium associatemembers, associate members, and development members. The core mem-bership includes names such as the four automobile manufacturers BMW,DC, VW, and GM, the unit manufacturer Bosch, and the semiconductormanufacturers Freescale and Philips, and overlaps to a fair extent withthe AUTOSAR membership. Renesas is an associate member of theFlexRay consortium.22)

As stated above, the standardization of automotive LAN by JasPar,while based on CAN, is being conducted so as to integrate FlexRay specifi-cation. Therefore, unless they can get parts manufacturers to undertakespeedy development of FlexRay-compatible inbuilt semiconductors, theautomobile manufacturers of JasPar will lose competitiveness. At present,


question of long-term supply is standardization. To have semiconductor manufacturersand unit manufacturers construct an interface easily remodeled and replaced over thelong-term is an attractive prospect for vehicle manufacturers. This is because if standardsare fixed, even if the semiconductor process changes, substituting a shrink version of thenew process, for instance, will facilitate the transition between semiconductor generationsand the replacement process.

21) See membership regulations at: https://www.jaspar.jp/download.html?docpath=jaspar-o-3.pdf. 22) In counterpart to Renesas, NEC Electronics, and other Japanese semiconductor manufac-

turers, European enterprises such as Freescale and Philips Semiconductors are core mem-bers that play a central role in the FlexRay consortium.

(Continued from previous page)

Renesas and other firms in the JasPar FlexRay Circuit WG are at thesame time members of the FlexRay consortium and reflect the results ofFlexRay in their JasPar activity.

Participation in other consortia does not stop with the FlexRay con-sortium; it is necessary to become an insider in a range of others includingthe Safe-by-Wire consortium, CiA (CAN in Automation) consortium, andLIN consortium (see Figure 6). This is because, whereas with the existingcore network protocol CAN (CAN Class B: ISO11898), the areas controlledwere limited to relatively simple body-related areas and information moni-toring and display, in the next-generation, all electronic control systemswill operate on a transmission protocol with unitary specifications; inother words they are oriented to ‘operation by-wire’.23) As a result, thedevelopment process of FlexRay, which is one of the foremost candidatesystems, needs to aim for technological convergence with the varioustransmission protocols that support the existing onboard networks.

For the development of protocols requiring technological adjustment,it is indispensable to become an insider of the different consortia directingthe development of the protocols and to identify the trends in technologyand standards (here, trends in standards refers not only to trends in thecontent of standards, but also to the trends in competition between rivalstandards. For instance, Renesas also participates in the TTP (TTP Class-C)24) consortium which is said to be the main rival to FlexRay in the stan-dardization competition surrounding protocol standards, also known asthe ‘X-by-Wire War’. In other words, becoming a consortium insider canalso be seen as a means of finding out, as it were, which horse to back.25)).


23) A, Kokubo ‘How to interpret the development toward de facto standardization － the strug-gle over vehicle specifications, LAN protocol. RanD management.com,http://www.randdmanagement.com/c_defact/de_index.htm

24) http://www.ttagroup.org25) Naturally, while belonging to both consortia is a risk hedge, if neither specification

becomes the standard, the expenditure will become sunk costs. In as far as there is animbalance in the expectations of different companies before the standard is decided, thedecision by management as to how many resources to invest and how much of a commit-ment to make to each consortium is a classic strategic and entrepreneurial task. (See: A.Tokuda, 2004, Amending the resource-based view of strategic management from an entre-preneurial perspective. Discussion Paper Series No.018-04. pp.1-20. Centre forInstitutional Performance, The School of Business, Reading University, U.K.). For adetailed treatment of competition in the standardization of network protocols (specifica-tions), see: http://www.randdmanagement.com/c_defact/de_index.htm.

The member then needs to provide information feedback to its in-house development process and JasPar and then to collate the informationgathered into an effective resource. Naturally, it will not be possible totransfer to JasPar all information and devices developed and standardizedby other consortia, but for devices subject to restriction, one of the impor-tant roles of Renesas is the ability to use negotiation to one by one satisfythe conditions for transfer.

(2) Upstream activity

“It is an obvious fact that the goal of standardization activity is to cre-ate shared criteria to realize compatibility of vehicle units and the partsused within the ECU. Through development and compliance tests,Renesas want to be the first to make devices satisfying these criteria intothe semiconductors preferred by automobile manufacturers around theworld”.26)


Figure 6 History of automotive LAN standardization and Renesas initiatives

Source: Renesas

December 2004 Renesas scheduled to joinSafe-by-Wire consortium

December 2004 Renesas joins Jaspar

February 2004 Establishment of Safe-by-Wire Consortium Plus

December 2002 Renesas joins FlexRay Consortium

July 2002 Renesas joins Safe-by-Wire Consortium

2002 Renesas gives presentation at LIN Consortium (Initiatives and Proposals)

2001 Establishment of Safe-by-Wire Consortium

2001 Renesas holds technology exchange meeting with TTTech (granting of use of patent TTTP/C)

2001 Renesas joins LIN Consortium

2000 Establishment of LIN Consortium, FlexRay Consortium

1999 Renesas joins ISO, CiA1993 Renesas certified under ISO11898 (CAN high-speed specification)1991 Renesas certified under ISO11519-1 (CAN low-speed specification), upgrade to CAN requirement Ver. 2.0B1986 Bosch announces CAN (CAN requirement Ver. 2.0A)1983 Bosch begins development of CAN

26) From an e-mail reply to a question from the author to Yoshiharu Hayashi (RenesasTechnology Corporation, System Solution Business Group, Automotive SemiconductorBusiness Unit, Automotive Applications Technology Section I, Section Head), (February

Motor vehicles, unlike desktop PCs, DVD players, and other so-calledmodular type products, are not susceptible to ready development byprocuring and assembling compatible items.27) Vehicles are a product sub-ject to recall and requirements are subject to very strict conditions inorder to maintain high levels of safety. Moreover, in order to ensure highreliability, lifespan test items are also stringent. For instance, before anew automotive device is adopted, evaluation and inspection is carried outon the basis of a very extensive range of function- and reliability-relateddocumentation (reliability data, performance data, electrical characteris-tics data, quality standards, recovery plan in the event of natural disaster,production process data, immediate response to misfunction, specialisttechnology support, etc.).28)

JasPar formulates not only device requirements but also standardsthat include quality compliance test criteria above the level of existingreliability criteria. Between 2008 and 2009, it is predicted that it will nolonger be allowed to fit vehicles with semiconductors that do not pass theJasPar and AUTOSAR compliance tests. For Renesas therefore, ensuringa thorough knowledge of the compliance test criteria and engaging itselfin the standards formulation process in such a way that the criteria work


11, 2005).27) The difference between integral and modular products (the difference in the degrees of

integrality and modularity) appears to depend on the function level and performance levelthe product is equipped with. For instance, Christensen and Raynor (2003) took as a mea-sure the customer criteria for satisfaction with performance, and found that, as the basisfor competition in product development speed, responsiveness, convenience, etc., integralarchitecture was effective if the performance of the product or part of the product wasinsufficient, while modular architecture was selected if the performance was adequate(Christensen, C. M., Raynor, M. E., 2003, The Innovator’s Solution: Creating andSustaining Successful Growth, Harvard Business School Press.). Taking this perspective,it can be stated that the desktop PC is a product where the customer is satisfied with per-formance criteria achievable by ready development through procurement and assembly ofspecification-compatible items. If customer requirements regarding the performance of thedesktop PC were to rise (e.g. a PC that never freezes), the degree of integrality would rise.

28) For reference see quality standards AEC-Q100 and TS16949. (QS9000 is a specificationconsisting of specific requirements to be met by suppliers of vehicle parts and materialswho have as direct customers DC, Ford, and GM. In Europe, the vehicle specificationsdeveloped by the various automobile manufacturers for suppliers were set out in VDA6.1(German specification), EAQF (French specification), and AVSQ (Italian specification).IATF (International Automobile Task Force) was established as an organization to pro-mote the integration of these specifications and formulated proposals in the form ofTS16949, which was issued in March 1999 as ISO/TS16949).

to its advantage is the objective of upstream activity. Upstream activity at Renesas consists of exerting influence on the

formulation of standards from the early stage of structural design throughthe following processes:① Proposing requirements on the basis of the in-house technology and

product roadmap (see Figure 7) and having them accepted ②Making proposals for the content of compliance test criteria in line with

in-house technology ③ Reducing the number of new criteria items so as to establish continua-

tions of the in-house technology as the standard

As Renesas seeks first-mover advantage, it can secure a range ofadvantages, for instance the ability to establish a production line morequickly, by ‘adding’ to the standards a range of specification and compli-ance test criteria extrapolated from its proprietary technology.

The manufacturing process for microcomputers can be divided intodesign, layout, processing, assembly, and testing. The items in the specifi-cation and compliance test criteria for automotive devices which are decid-ed by JasPar relate to all stages of the manufacturing process and areespecially relevant in the test process. Therefore, if for instance the firm iswell versed in cycle frequency and electric current requirements, it is ableto respond speedily in transistor size, wiring techniques, and optimizationof layout. Also, a grasp of the various criteria for power supply noise, stat-ic noise, induction noise, emissions, immunity, etc., will promote effectiveand efficient accumulation of manufacturing technology that can respondto each of these, which will allow earlier passing of the compliance testthan other firms and help establish the in-house product as the preferredsemiconductor of automobile manufacturers.29)

At the same time as ‘adding’ to the standards a set of specificationand compliance test criteria extrapolated from the firm’s proprietary tech-


29) Apart from this, a thorough knowledge of standards may also be useful in semiconductorquality improvement (e.g: Hitachi and Hitachi Chemical or NEC and Sumitomo Bakelite,etc.). A former strength of Japanese semiconductor manufacturers was their close relation-ship with materials manufacturers. At present, Renesas does not have a cooperative rela-tionship with a specific materials manufacturer in the development of automotive embed-ded semiconductors, but sharing compliance test criteria with materials manufacturers asit proceeds with product development may be a factor in high-quality semiconductor devel-opment. Also, there is scope for making use of the standards in the development ofmachine tools.

nology, it is important to continually ‘reduce’ the number of new specifica-tion and test criteria which cannot be thus extrapolated.

One danger that Renesas needs to beware of within JasPar is the riskthat too much effort to integrate into the specification and compliance testcriteria which various automobile manufacturers need will end up with“excess quality and performance” or “local standards”. JasPar states asone of the reasons for its establishment the promotion of a cooperativerelationship with AUTOSAR. However, parts that satisfy requirementsinflated by suppliers to the level of ‘excess quality and performance’, evenif they are ‘excellent in terms of quality’, may not be accepted in terms ofcost-competitiveness by the European and American automobile manufac-turers in the AUTOSAR group. Also, the higher the level of the targetspecification, the lower the profit yield of the semiconductors manufac-tured by Renesas, which represents a hindrance to production efficiency.30)

At the same time as achieving the optimum balance between the require-


30) Even if quality distribution is the same, depending on how the target specification is set,product yield varies (T, Yunogami “International competitiveness of the Japanese semi-conductor industry in terms of technological capability”, Discussion Paper Series 04-11,Corporate Innovation System Renaissance Project, 2004, http://unit.aist.go.jp/techinfo/cis-rep/pdf/dp_0411.pdf).

Figure 7 Renesas product roadmap in response to FlexRay

Source: Renesas


ments of JasPar-participating automobile manufacturers, the trends inrequirements and compliance test criteria at AUTOSAR, and in-houseproprietary technology, a necessary part of upstream activity is thus work-ing to ‘reduce’ new specification and test criteria to avoid a situationwhere the “upper limit” becomes the standard.

5. CONCLUSION

A number of perspectives have been presented in the present paper,in which an outline of the activities of the JasPar consortium, establishedfor the standardization of software platform for vehicle electronic controlsystems including communication protocol specification, was followed by apresentation of the standardization activity of the parts manufacturerRenesas as a member of JasPar.

In conventional ECU development, automotive manufacturers collat-ed their specification for separate ECUs and placed corresponding orderswith unit manufacturers, who undertook development (system design,software development, device procurement, system validation) of ECUs inline with the specification, and then delivered them to the manufacturer.This may have been the optimum development process architecture toraise autonomous innovation and development efficiency at the individualECU level. However, as systemic innovation becomes necessary for thedevelopment of vehicles with increased added value (vehicles with highlevels of function and performance), there is increased need for coordina-tion between a number of ECUs, and the architecture of the developmentprocess needs to become more integral model in nature than before (morenon-modular model). As this happens, naturally the cost of coordinationbetween ECUs rises, and when the scope of the coordination reachesbeyond the specific KEIRETSU, the costs increase further. JasPar is an(experimental) forum for formulating standard to alleviate the expansionof coordination costs associated with integration in the vehicle ECU devel-opment process, and the activities of Renesas in JasPar can be seen as avariety of proactive initiatives for making this forum advantageous forthem.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study was supported by Industrial Technology Research Grant Program in

2005 from New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

of Japan, the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Grant-in aid for

young Scientists (B), 18730265, 2006 and we are also grateful to several professionals

who provided inputs in form for discussions, interviews or sharing of information.

Responsibility for the content of the paper lies with the author alone.

REFERENCES

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