The radar chips bring longer range and AI on-chip. From detecting distant objects to running driving functions, they could change how vehicles sense the road ahead.
Bosch has launched two new radar system-on-chips (SoCs), the SX600 and SX601, designed to support advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) up to SAE level 2+. The chips enable key safety functions such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, and lane change assistance.
Technically, the SX600 and SX601 stand out through a fully digital, fast-response phase-locked loop (PLL), which enables precise frequency control and improves detection accuracy. This results in long range, high resolution, and reliable recognition of even small or distant objects, with lower error rates than traditional radar sensors. Both chips are manufactured using 22nm RF CMOS technology, which allows cost-effective production and delivers a range about 30 percent greater than conventional sensors. Their multicore subsystem ensures enough memory and computing power for running customer applications directly on the chip, with room for future expansion.
The chips also integrate a millimeter-wave sensor frontend and a digital signal processor that can handle conventional or AI-based data processing. This capability supports advanced recognition algorithms, including neural networks, enabling the system to distinguish between pedestrians and other objects. Bosch provides a supporting engineering environment to make it easier for customers to implement machine learning features.
Designed for flexible integration, the SoCs operate in the 77 GHz frequency band and feature CAN XL and Ethernet interfaces for vehicle connectivity. Built-in hardware security accelerators and data encryption help protect against unauthorized access. Each sensor includes four transmitting and four receiving channels, and for applications requiring greater performance, Bosch offers a cascadable solution that connects two chips together. While the SX600 is optimized for cost efficiency, the SX601 delivers additional memory and the highest computing power currently available. Both versions are drop-in compatible, simplifying upgrades.
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