STMicroelectronics and Mobileye to Deliver Vision-Based Driver-Assist Systems
Next-Generation Chip Technology to Enable Advanced Automotive Safety Systems in the Drive to Help Save Lives
GENEVA and JERUSALEM, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), a leader in the design and manufacture of automotive ICs, and Mobileye N.V., the leading provider of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems to the automotive industry, today announced that the two companies are committed to developing, producing, and commercializing chips for the visual-aid driving-assistance segment of the automotive market.
The implementation of technology-based safety systems into the next- generation of road vehicles is increasingly being touted as a valuable instrument in the effort to reduce the high level of traffic accidents worldwide. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were estimated to be more than 6 million police-reported traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2004, in which more than 42,000 people were killed and approximately 2.7 million more were injured, despite a record-low fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel in the U.S. In a recent report on the main causes of road accidents from the INVENT-FAS (Intelligent Traffic and User-Friendly Technology - Driver Assistance, Active Safety) research initiative in Germany: about 28% of accidents were caused in lane-merging or lane-crossing maneuvers; about 24% were rear-end collisions; and approximately 15% were due to a vehicle leaving the road. The study concluded that there should be a focus on technological solutions for collision warning, lane- departure warning, and lane changing.
Driving-assistance technology is aimed at improving driver performance with automated features such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane-Departure Warning (LDW), Lane-Change Assist and Blind-Spot Detection (LCA/BSD), as well as Vision-Radar sensors for Pre-Crash, Pedestrian Protection, and in-cabin Occupant Detection. According to Allied Business Intelligence Inc., this segment of the automotive market is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. For example, the worldwide market by 2008 for Lane-Departure Warning products is predicted to be between 1.5 to 1.9 million units; and the Adaptive Cruise Control market, also by 2008, is expected to be 2.8 to 3.3 million units with predicted market revenues of between $1.8 and $2.2 billion.
STMicroelectronics intends to manufacture Mobileye's EyeQ-1 System-on-Chip and both companies will jointly develop the second-generation EyeQ-2. EyeQ-1 has been adopted by several first-tier suppliers and car manufacturers in Europe, the U.S., and Japan and will make its debut in after-market driver- assistance products in early 2006 and in 2007-model-year cars.
Featuring lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning and vision/radar fusion for active safety, EyeQ-1 combines high performance and low cost in a technology aimed at revolutionizing the mass implementation of driver assistance systems. The successor, EyeQ-2, will add pedestrian detection capabilities to its extensive feature list and will debut in late 2008 models.
"Automated driver-assist systems can potentially increase safety dramatically," said Marco Monti, Vice President of STMicroelectronics' Automotive Product Group. "Combining ST's automotive design and manufacturing expertise with Mobileye's strength in video-based driver-assist systems provides a perfect solution for innovative, automotive-market proven, and cost-competitive solutions for the automotive market."
About Mobileye
Mobileye N.V. is a technological leader in the area of advanced image sensing and processing technology for automotive applications, using computer vision technology for processing image sequences from a single camera input source. The processing includes functionalities such as vehicle detection, lane finding and pedestrian detection. The functionalities are embedded within the proprietary EyeQ vision-system-on-chip technology. The second generation EyeQ-2 is already in advance stage of development. Mobileye N.V. is headquartered in the Netherlands with an R&D staff of 120 employees located in Jerusalem, Israel. Further information on Mobileye can be found at http://www.mobileye.com/.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2004, the Company's net revenues were $8.76 billion and net earnings were $601 million. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com/.
Source: STMicroelectronics
CONTACT: Michael Markowitz, Director, Worldwide Technical Media Relations, of STMicroelectronics, +1-212-821-8959, michael.markowitz@st.com; or Ziv Aviram, President & CEO of Mobileye Vision Technologies,
+972-2-541-7333
Web site: http://www.st.com/
http://www.mobileye.com/
