Date: April 20, 2024. — Nanjing EtlChip Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., known as EtlChip, a Chinese supplier of in-vehicle Ethernet chips, has announced the successful completion of its Pre-A+ round of financing. This significant milestone is expected to bolster the company’s efforts in developing and delivering advanced in-vehicle Ethernet chips.
EtlChip has previously secured two rounds of financing in 2023, including an angel round and a Pre-A round. The company, founded in 2022, stands out as one of the few teams in China dedicated to the development of in-vehicle Ethernet chips. EtlChip has extensive experience in Ethernet communications chip technology. They have crafted high-performance, highly reliable, and low-power in-vehicle Ethernet communications chips and solutions.
The advancement in intelligent cockpits and autonomous driving technologies has escalated the demand for high-speed communications within vehicles. In-vehicle Ethernet, prized for its high bandwidth, reliability, and streamlined wiring, stands as a pivotal technology addressing these requirements. Since BMW first introduced the Ethernet architecture in their BMW 7 Series, the application of in-vehicle Ethernet has been gaining traction.
The market for automotive Ethernet chips in China has largely relied on imports. Moreover, mainly categorize these chips into Switch chips and Physical Layer Transceiver (PHY) chips. Domestic production prioritizes low-speed 100 Mbps automotive PHY chips, leaving a notable gap in local supply for automotive Switch chips.
Zhong Jianfeng, the founder of EtlChip, highlighted that only a handful of teams in China are working on developing automotive PHY chips. EtlChip develops automotive PHY and Switch chips. They offer comprehensive solutions for automotive Ethernet systems, making them one of the rare entities in this field. Switch chips, large-scale digital ASICs, necessitate designing multiple custom circuits as they can’t use off-the-shelf IP cores due to complexity.
EtlChip has developed China’s sole gigabit TSN Ethernet Switch chip. Moreover, this chip matches the performance of leading industry products by overcoming technical challenges. The company excels due to its product performance meeting global standards and its dedication to aiding OEMs in localizing components. EtlChip’s local presence also enables more responsive support to OEMs’ R&D needs, facilitating quicker product iterations.
