Cisco, NXP Invest in Cohda Wireless to Enable the Connected Car

Advancing Intelligent Transport Systems and Car-to-X Communication

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, January 16, 2013: Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) today announced that they have each made an investment in Cohda Wireless to advance intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and car-to-X communications.  Cohda Wireless is a leading specialist in wireless communication for automotive safety applications.  Today’s announcement brings together the expertise of the three organizations to make the Internet of Everything a reality for the automotive industry, creating a safer and more enjoyable driving experience while improving traffic flow.

Car-to-Car (C2C) and Car-to-Infrastructure (C2I) communications enable active safety systems that can affect 81 percent  of all crash scenarios, as a result helping to reduce fatalities and injuries on the roads. In addition to improving safety, car-to-infrastructure (C2I) communication holds great potential for intelligent transport system (ITS) management and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

This progress in traffic management and road safety can be realized with the help of applications that warn of hazards such as the potential of a collision ahead, alerting if a nearby vehicle is losing control, or of upcoming traffic congestion, and others – all enabled by the combined expertise and technologies of the three companies.  

By allowing vehicles to reliably interact with each other when travelling at high-speeds, each vehicle can give drivers warnings about potential hazards and allow them to avoid accidents, or even automatically respond to changing driving conditions faster than typical human reaction times. Warnings about traffic blockages ahead also allow early re-routing to avoid traffic congestion.

C2C and C2I communications require highly reliable and secure data exchange between fast moving vehicles and infrastructure in a range of conditions – from rural highway to dense urban canyons. NXP and Cohda Wireless have built a market-ready, flexible wireless communication solution for onboard-units based on Cohda’s existing advanced radio and NXP’s market-proven software-defined radio technology. This makes it a key element to connect to Cisco’s vision of a ubiquitous and highly-secure Internet of Everything.

Onboard and road side units developed using technologies from the three companies have been tested to global standards in major field trials. In August 2012, the “Safety Pilot Model Deployment” trial by the US Department of Transport was initiated, and other major field trials include simTD in Germany, ScoreF in France, and ERP2 in Singapore.

The three companies will apply their collective expertise and technologies to help automotive OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers to connect vehicles with ITS infrastructure. This will be spearheaded by producing the first automotive-qualified IEEE 802.11p products for onboard and road‑side units that are ready for C2C and C2I deployments across the globe.

Cohda’s technology enhances wireless communications to quality levels far beyond commercial off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11p transceivers, allowing cars to more effectively “see” through obstacles or around corners. NXP, as global number one supplier of car radio semiconductors and security chips, brings its software-defined radio platform and ensures industry-ready data security, cost efficiency, form factor, power consumption, and performance. Together, Cisco, NXP, and Cohda will develop a complete market-ready solution for the automotive and ITS industry.

NXP will exclusively license the Cohda 802.11p technology together with its chipsets as a one-stop shop to automotive customers. Cohda will be NXP’s preferred partner for automotive 802.11p reference designs.

Cisco is helping the automotive and transportation systems industries deliver new functionality, enhanced safety and driver experience. By incorporating an intelligent network, OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers can benefit from intelligent transportation systems, connected commercial fleets and smart connected vehicles.

Supporting quotes:

• Maciej Kranz, Vice President/ General Manager of the Connected Industries Group at Cisco: “We believe that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected, and smarter vehicles are one of the many ways in which we will fully experience the Internet of Everything.  The onboard solution is one element of an end-to-end architecture that integrates with Cisco’s offboard network infrastructure. Our ultimate aim is to bring about a safer, more enjoyable, and more productive travel experience, enabled by the network.”

• Yuri Wahab, Cisco’s Managing Director for Malaysia: “The increasingly connected community we live, work, play and learn in has resulted in innovations that utilise the network across industries and public sectors. One such breakthrough is in the creation of an intelligent transportation system, very relevant in Malaysia as the Government has been investing in measures to improve the nation’s infrastructure and transportation system. We believe that the advancement will inspire greater use of intelligent networking technology in enabling a world-class urban transportation and traffic management system that is effective, reliable and safe.
• Paul Gray, Chief Executive Officer of Cohda Wireless: “We make Car-to-X work for the moving car. Our patented technology enhances radio reception; the car can see around corners or through obstacles when needed. Combining our special expertise in wireless automotive communication with that of long-established automotive companies like NXP and a global player like Cisco is a logical next step to further grow our reach into the automotive industry.”

• Kurt Sievers, Executive Vice President/ General Manager of the Automotive Business at NXP Semiconductors: “Our market-proven multi-standard software-defined radio is the ideal platform for C2X communication. Combined with Cohda’s superior wireless communication algorithms and Cisco’s network intelligence we will achieve the performance, system cost and compactness that car makers and tier-1 suppliers are asking for. Our combined technology will help to avoid traffic accidents, save lives and reduce CO2 emissions.”