Cybersecurity requirements for automotive MCUs

The increasing connectivity of road vehicles leads to a growing need for cybersecurity. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has therefore adopted the R155 and R156 regulations, which define the cybersecurity requirements for OEMs. OEMs who want to sell new vehicles in UNECE-regulated markets must hold a valid type approval certificate and implement cybersecurity practices throughout the supply chain to minimize the risk of attack throughout the vehicle's lifecycle.

The TRAVEO T2G Automotive MCU family for Body and Cluster from Infineon Technologies AG features a Hardware Security Module (HSM) that is able to execute secured boot and ensure secured isolation of HSM applications and data. To further improve this, the company plans to retrospectively implement product compliance for the TRAVEO T2G automotive MCU family with the latest automotive cybersecurity standard ISO/SAE 21434. All necessary documentation, including the Cybersecurity Manual and Cybersecurity Case Report, will be provided to customers.

"With ISO/SAE 21434 compliant TRAVEO T2G automotive microcontrollers, OEMs' effort to comply with UNECE R155 and R156 regulations will be significantly reduced. This enables faster time to the regulated markets", said Ralf Koedel, vice president of Automotive MCU at Infineon. "For existing customers, compliance becomes simpler, faster and more cost-effective while allowing the reuse of existing software and hardware. New customers can also benefit from the ISO/SAE 21434 compliance."

The TRAVEO T2G MCUs are based on the Arm Cortex-M4(Single core)/M7(Single core/Dual core/ Quad core) core and provide high performance, enhanced human-machine interfaces, high-security and advanced networking protocols tailored for a wide range of automotive applications. They offer state-of-the-art real-time performance and safety and security features. This is reflected, among other things, in the introduction of HSM, dedicated Cortex-M0+ for secured processing, and embedded flash in dual bank mode for FOTA requirements.

With the planned new product compliance, developers can continue to use the TRAVEO T2G MCUs to develop their ISO/SAE 21434-compliant ECUs. As a result, they will benefit from lower product development costs and faster time-to-market for existing and new platforms.

At CES 2025, the company will showcase its latest innovations with demonstrations in the Venetian Tower Guest Suites 29-139 and 29-140. The TRAVEO T2G family of automotive MCUs will also be on display.