HARMAN International, a global leader in automotive technology and lifestyle audio, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business of ZF Group, comprising leading automotive compute solutions, smart cameras, radars and ADAS software functions. The transaction is valued at €1.5 billion.

A Strategic Step toward an Integrated, Centralized Vehicle Architecture

HARMAN’s “Consumer Experiences. Automotive Grade.” strategy focuses on bringing the speed, intelligence and intuitive experiences consumers expect from leading technology brands into vehicles, while also meeting the highest standards for automotive safety, reliability and long-term platform support. As automakers accelerate toward software-defined vehicles (SDV), this approach enables experiences that seamlessly connect safety and assisted driving functions with comfort, connectivity and in-vehicle intelligence. With this acquisition, HARMAN has secured strategic inroads in the ADAS and central compute platforms markets, reinforcing a foundation that anchors and advances its role in the fast-growing SDV market.

By integrating ZF’s ADAS capabilities with HARMAN’s flagship Digital Cockpit offerings within a centralized compute design, the acquisition bolsters HARMAN’s roadmap for next-generation vehicle architectures. The combination creates a foundation for future central compute solutions that bring assisted and automated driving solutions, safety and user experiences on a shared platform. This approach streamlines system design, reduces integration complexity and supports more efficient innovation cycles, allowing HARMAN to enable OEMs to scale differentiated, context-aware vehicle experiences.

“The industry is at an inflection point where safety, intelligence and in-cabin experience must come together through a unified computing architecture,” said Christian Sobottka, Chief Executive Officer and President, Automotive Division, HARMAN. “With this agreement, we take a strategic step to expand our portfolio with complementary ADAS capabilities that unlock a new class of cross-domain experiences ranging from perception-informed audio cues to more personalized, situation-aware driving. Combined with HARMAN’s long-standing automotive expertise and supported by Samsung’s broader technology leadership, this positions us to help OEMs design the next generation of intelligent, empathetic and connected vehicles.”

“With HARMAN, we have found the ideal partner to fully unlock the growth and innovation potential of our ADAS business,” said Mathias Miedreich, CEO of ZF Group. “At the same time, this deal makes an important contribution to reducing our company’s debt and allows us to focus our resources on the core technologies in which ZF is a global leader.”

“Samsung has a successful record of strategic acquisitions that accelerate innovation and expand what’s possible for our customers,” said Young Sohn, Chairman of the Board of Directors, HARMAN and Senior Advisor, Samsung Electronics. “Since acquiring HARMAN in 2017, the company has scaled its automotive and audio business from $7 billion to more than $11 billion today. Adding ZF’s ADAS capabilities builds on that momentum. HARMAN will further expand its technology foundation to deliver safer, more intelligent and more intuitive in-vehicle experiences. This acquisition reinforces HARMAN’s leadership in the industry’s transformation and underscores Samsung’s long-term commitment to the future of mobility.”

“This transaction marks a major milestone in the execution of HARMAN’s long-term strategy and further strengthens our portfolio,” said Carolin Reichert, Chief Strategy Officer of HARMAN. “Throughout the process, we worked in a very constructive collaboration with ZF and demonstrated our ability to successfully execute a highly complex carve-out.”

As part of the agreement, approximately 3,750 ZF employees across Europe, the Americas and Asia are expected to transition to HARMAN upon closing of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to receiving necessary regulatory approvals.

Upon closing, HARMAN will integrate ZF’s ADAS capabilities into its centralized compute and digital cockpit roadmap, enabling OEMs to deploy more scalable, safety-integrated vehicle architectures. The companies will maintain strong support for existing programs while aligning engineering, ADAS and compute teams to accelerate innovation for next-generation platforms.

About HARMAN

HARMAN is a global leader in Lifestyle Audio and Automotive technology. We create intelligent experiences that enrich people’s lives on the road, in their homes, on the stage and everywhere in between. Our iconic audio brands — including JBL®, Harman Kardon®, AKG®, Bowers & Wilkins®, Denon® and Marantz® — bring premium sound to consumers and audio/visual professionals worldwide. More than 50 million vehicles globally rely on HARMAN’s technologies to deliver safer, smarter and more intuitive in-cabin experiences. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, HARMAN has approximately 26,000 employees around the world.

About ZF

ZF is a global technology company supplying advanced mobility products and systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. Its comprehensive product range is primarily aimed at vehicle manufacturers, mobility providers and start-up companies in the fields of transportation and mobility. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle types. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate as well as enhancing safe mobility. Alongside the automotive sector — passenger cars and commercial vehicles — ZF also serves market segments such as construction and agricultural machinery, wind power, marine propulsion, rail drives and test systems. With some 161,600 employees worldwide, ZF reported sales of €41.4 billion in fiscal 2024. The company operates 161 production locations in 30 countries.

In line with its focus on next-generation NPU technologies, Samsung plans to create over 2,000 related jobs worldwide by 2030, which is about 10 times the current headcount. The company will also expand upon its existing collaboration with globally distinguished research institutes and universities, and support the nurturing of future talent in the field of AI, including deep learning and neural processing.

“For the coming age of AI, Samsung is committed to delivering industry-leading advancements brought to life by our NPU technologies,” said Inyup Kang, president of System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics. “As we leverage our differentiated technology, close partnerships with global institutes and active investment in top talent, we are excited to take future AI processing capabilities to the next level.”

Samsung introduced its first NPU in the company’s premium mobile processor, the Exynos 9820, last year and plans to continue offering advanced on-device AI features for high-performance mobile chips. Applications for Samsung’s NPUs will expand into areas such as automotive processors that power in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), as well as next-generation datacenters optimized for big data processing.

The System LSI Business and Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology — Samsung’s R&D arm — together plan to extend and evolve the company’s current NPU research into novel AI hardware technologies such as neuromorphic processors that aim to operate at the level of a human brain.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that it has received the ISO 26262 certification for functional safety in automotive components from TÜV Rheinland, a globally renowned third-party testing, inspection and certification company.

The accreditation of Samsung’s new functional safety management system ensures that the company’s advanced automotive semiconductors, such as processors, image sensors, memory and light emitting diode (LED) solutions, satisfy the industry’s rigid safety standards throughout the product development process.

“TÜV Rheinland provides independent testing and inspection services that stand by quality and safety,” said Manuel Diaz, Global Field Manager at TÜV Rheinland. “Samsung has successfully built its management system that will provide semiconductor solutions meeting the functional safety requirements for today’s automakers. We are pleased to present Samsung with the ISO 26262 certification for automotive semiconductors that will help enhance functional safety within the industry.”

“Safety is a top priority, especially when it comes to tomorrow’s automotive vehicles, and our ISO 26262 certification is an exciting step that secures functional safety in Samsung’s advanced automotive semiconductor solutions,” said Kenny Han, vice president of Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics. “We expect that the new ISO 26262 certification will drive momentum for our comprehensive lineup of innovative semiconductor solutions in the automotive market.”

As the adoption of electronic components in automobiles continue to increase and the development of future applications are accelerated across industries, the importance of automotive safety standards for semiconductor components as well as their level of sophistication have also risen.

The ISO 26262 for automotive functional safety was established as a global standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2011 to minimize risks from electric or electronic system malfunction in vehicles. Recognizing the growing requirements for semiconductors in emerging automotive technologies such as advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving, guidelines specific to such products were added to the revised standard in 2018.

With the ISO 26262 certification, Samsung plans to accumulate development cases and make continuous improvements to further reinforce its functional safety management system. In addition to the certification, Samsung’s automotive semiconductor solutions have been meeting the highest standards of quality management and reliability required by IATF 16949 and AEC-Q100 specifications respectively.

Pioneering Automotive Solutions

Samsung’s automotive solution offering has been one of the highlights of this year’s CES, and at the Encore Hotel showcase, key components and technologies for in-vehicle infotainment, telematics and the advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) were on display to invited customers and partners.

Exynos Auto V9 is Samsung’s first dedicated automotive system-on chip for next-generation IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) systems. The Exynos Auto V9 can support up to six high resolution displays through powerful processing from eight core CPUs and a tri-cluster GPU, an advanced GPU arranged in three separated sets of GPU cores able to seamlessly support multiple systems simultaneously. The Exynos Auto V9 is also equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU) that processes visual and audio data to accurately recognize face, speech and gesture patterns for intelligent driving experiences. The showcase demo presented diverse concurrent driving assistant and entertainment experiences – for example, the running of navigation in the central information display (CID) at the same time as a movie plays in rear-seat displays.

Exynos Auto T is a telematics solution that empowers safe driving experiences through the integrated use of telecommunications and informatics technologies. The industry’s first cellular modem to support multi-mode from 2G to 5G NR, the Exynos Modem 5100, was also showcased.

ADAS is leading the way in in-drive visual perception capabilities. The demonstration showcased how the ADAS system can recognize and detecting all manner of objects such as cars, pedestrians and traffic signs. Furthermore, the DRVLINE, an open, modular and scalable platform for building ADAS with a faster time to market, was introduced at the showcase.

ISOCELL Auto image sensor is an advanced new solution capable of bringing about a wholly new driving experience thanks to its high performance in detecting objects in a variety of lighting conditions. The ISOCELL Auto image sensor technology provides unrivalled object recognition in a diverse range of driving environments, as the sensor’s high resolution and fast frame rate enables the accurate detection of any moving objects, while its high light sensitivity assists in object recognition even in dark lighting conditions. Furthermore, a wide dynamic range permits the sensor to respond quickly and effectively to sudden changes in brightness, as one might experience when driving in or out of dimly-lit tunnels.

Innovative Pixel Solution for Smart ADB(Adaptive Driving Beam) is the next-generation one-chip LED solution for headlamps that helps prevent glare affecting preceding and oncoming vehicles or pedestrians by automatically controlling the light distribution of a headlamp. Samsung presented this highly-specialized LED solution by demonstrating different driving situations including when a driver starts the engine, needs high or low beam, and faces preceding or oncoming vehicle.

Next-Generation Semiconductor Technologies

This year, five of Samsung’s latest semiconductor products have received recognition from the coveted CES 2019 Best of Innovation Awards – the Samsung 256GB 3DS DDR4 RDIMM, 512GB Universal Flash Storage, 3.84TB NVMe Z-SSD SZ1733, LM302S and the SSM-U Series.

Samsung 256GB 3DS DDR4 RDIMM is the industry’s fastest DDR4 and highest density memory module for next-generation enterprise server platforms, providing the finest high-density, high-performance consumer infrastructure solutions with extremely low-power consumption (15 watts at 1.2V).

Samsung 512GB Universal Flash Storage is the industry’s first 512-gigabyte embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) for automotive A/V systems and next-gen flagship mobile devices, using Samsung’s new 64-layer 512-gigabit V-NAND chips. The 512GB eUFS package transfers a 5GB-equivalent full HD video clip to an SSD in about six seconds, over 8 times faster than a typical microSD card.

Samsung 3.84TB NVMe Z-SSD SZ1733 offers a new level of storage for supercomputing targeted for AI analysis, big data and IoT applications, using Samsung’s new Z-NAND chips which provide 10 times higher cell read performance than 3-bit V-NAND chips.

Samsung LM302S is the most user-oriented next-generation lighting platform to date, designed to improve work efficiency by helping users achieve a better circadian rhythm and healthier sleep. Its human-centric LED solution can improve a person’s concentration level for greater work efficiency by as much as 10% and improve sleep quality by repressing melatonin during the day.

Samsung SSM-U Series is a new type of smart module made up of tiny radar-based sensors with higher detecting sensitivity than conventional sensors. The SSM-U series features invisible and intelligent motion detection-based transmission for greater flexibility and reactivity in smart residential lighting.

As the graphics show below, semiconductor solutions are used in a wide array of automotive applications such as the camera and sensing system, dashboard, IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) system, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistant System), autonomous driving central computing system and gateway. Semiconductors will be used even more extensively in the future, especially with the potential introduction of autonomous driving.

Samsung has been continuously cooperating with leading automobile manufacturers to make its semiconductor technologies available in the industry’s latest automobiles as well as next-generation cars. The company has participated in the Audi Progressive SemiConductor Program (PSCP) since 2015 with its advanced memory solutions and Exynos processors.

With its multiple operating system compatibility and support for multi-display, Samsung’s flagship Exynos processors enable powerful computing and graphics processing performance for today’s automobiles with highly graphical user interfaces. Along with its Exynos offerings, Samsung also plans to develop a wide array of logic IC solutions for upcoming automotive applications. Images sensors, working as the eyes of future vehicles, will have further improved frame rate and light sensitivity for thorough monitoring and sensing the driving environment.

When it comes to memory solutions, Samsung provides its high-performance, high-density LPDDR4 /LPDDR4X and GDDR6 DRAM lineups to address ever increasing demand for higher data bandwidth. For secure data storage, Samsung offers advanced eMMC and UFS solutions. All of these Samsung semiconductor solutions for automotive applications guarantee the highest performance levels among their kinds and are designed to endure tough environments inside the automobiles such as sudden temperature changes and continuous vibration.

Also offered by Samsung are LED components for interior and exterior lighting of automobiles such as cluster indicator lighting, headlamps and turn signal lamps. Based on upcoming technologies like pixel lighting, Samsung will be able to provide LED packages and modules that will enable more sophisticated and reliable lighting solutions.

“The 16Gb LPDDR4X DRAM is our most advanced automotive solution yet, offering global automakers outstanding reliability, endurance, speed, capacity and energy efficiency, ,” said Sewon Chun, senior vice president of memory marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to closely collaborate with manufacturers developing diverse automotive systems, in delivering premium memory solutions anywhere.”

Moving a step beyond its 20nm-class ‘Automotive Grade 2’ DRAM, which can withstand temperatures from -40°C to 105°C, Samsung’s 16Gb LPDDR4X is Automotive Grade 1-compliant, raising the high-end threshold to 125°C. By more than satisfying the rigorous on-system thermal cycling tests of global auto manufacturers, the 16Gb LPDDR4X has enhanced its reliability for a wide variety of automotive applications in many of the world’s most challenging environments.

Adding to the degree of reliability under high temperatures, production at an advanced 10nm-class node is key to enabling the 16Gb LPDDR4X to deliver its leading-edge performance and power efficiency. Even in environments with extremely high temperatures of up to 125°C, its data processing speed comes in at 4,266 megabits per second (Mbps), a 14 percent increase from the 8Gb LPDDR4 DRAM that is based on 20nm process technology, and the new memory also registers a 30 percent increase in power efficiency.

Along with a 256 gigabyte (GB) embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) drive announced in February, Samsung has expanded its advanced memory solution lineup for future automotive applications with the 10nm-class 16Gb LPDDR4X DRAM, commercially available in 12Gb, 16Gb, 24Gb and 32Gb capacities. While extending its 10nm-class DRAM offerings, the company also plans on bolstering technology partnerships for automotive solutions that include vision ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), autonomous driving, infotainment systems and gateways.

*Editor’s Note:  10nm-class is a process node between 10 and 19 nanometers

Following the memory breakthrough of the automotive industry’s first 128GB eUFS in September, 2017, Samsung’s 256GB eUFS is now being shipped to automotive manufacturers preparing the market for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), next-generation infotainment systems and new-age dashboards in luxury vehicles.

As thermal management is crucial for automotive memory applications, Samsung’s 256GB eUFS extends the temperature range to between -40°C and 105°C for both operational and power-saving modes. Warranties for conventional embedded multimedia card (eMMC) 5.1 solutions generally cover -25°C to 85°C for vehicles in operation and -40°C to 85°C when in idle or power-saving mode,

“With the new temperature threshold for automobile warranties, major automotive manufacturers can now design-in memory that’s even well suited for extreme environments and know they will be getting highly reliable performance,” said Kyoung Hwan Han, vice president of NAND marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Starting with high-end vehicles, we expect to expand our business portfolio across the entire automotive market, while accelerating growth in the premium memory segment.”

Samsung’s 256GB eUFS not only can easily endure the new temperature specification, despite the heat-sensitive nature of memory storage, but also through its temperature notification feature, a sensor will notify the host application processor (AP) when the device temperature exceeds 105°C or any pre-set level. The AP would then regulate its clock speed to lower the temperature to an acceptable level.

Sequential reads for the 256GB eUFS can reach 850 megabytes per second (MB/s), which is at the high end of the current JEDEC UFS 2.1 standard, and random read operations come in at 45,000 IOPS. In addition, a data refresh feature speeds up processing and enables greater system reliability by relocating older data to other less-used cells.

The temperature notification, developed by Samsung, and data refresh features are included in UFS specification, version 3.0, which was announced last month by JEDEC, a global semiconductor standards organization.

Samsung plans to bolster its technology partnerships with global automakers and component providers, and continue expanding its eUFS line-up with an aim to lead the premium memory market.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it is introducing the industry’s first embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) solution for use in next-generation automotive applications. Consisting of 128-gigabyte (GB) and 64GB versions, the new eUFS solution has been designed for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), next-generation dashboards and infotainment systems that provide comprehensive connected features for drivers and passengers worldwide.

“We are taking a major step in accelerating the introduction of next-generation ADAS and automotive infotainment systems by offering the industry’s first eUFS solution for the market much earlier than expected,” said Jinman Han, Senior Vice President of Memory Product Planning & Application Engineering at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is taking the lead in the growth of the memory market for sophisticated automotive applications, while continuing to deliver leading-edge UFS solutions with higher performance, density and reliability.”

Embedded UFS solutions have been used in a variety of mobile applications since early 2015, when Samsung introduced 128GB embedded memory based on the JEDEC UFS 2.0 standard, for the first time in the industry. Since then, the high performance and proven quality of UFS has led to its wide adoption in large numbers of mobile devices from flagship smartphones initially, to also now in mid-market smartphones.

Configured on the most up-to-date UFS standard (JEDEC UFS 2.1), the new Samsung eUFSwill provide advanced data transfer speeds and robust data reliability. For example, the new Samsung 128GB eUFS can read data at up to 850 megabytes per second (MB/s), which is approximately 3.4 times faster than the 250MB/s read speed of today’s eMMC 5.0 solutions. It also offers about 6.3 times faster random reading than eMMC at 45,000 IOPS. This will contribute to significantly enhanced performance in upcoming automotive infotainment systems for better managing audio content, increasing navigation responsiveness, accessing Internet-enabled traffic and weather reports, improving handling of hands-free voice commands, and speeding up rear-seat social media interplay.

The new eUFS solution also features an efficient and reliable error-handling process, which is essential for next-generation in-vehicle infotainment. Based on the MIPI UniPro^®* protocol, the eUFS enables detecting and recovering from I/O error on hardware layers, without having to involve the host software or restarting tasks.

In addition, the Samsung eUFS supports advanced data refresh and temperature notification features for superior system reliability. The advanced data refresh operation allows a choice of refresh methods, and provides information on the refresh unit, frequency and progress for the host device’s control. This enables optimal data reliability, an essential element of automotive applications.

When it comes to thermal management, the Samsung eUFS equips the temperature sensor inside the controller to enable highly reliable device temperature control. This prevents the eUFS from crossing well-defined upper and lower temperature boundaries, thereby allowing its NAND cells to flawlessly function within a tough automotive temperature environment.

In light of the eUFS’ high performance and reliability, Samsung expects rapid adoption in the automotive market. Samsung will continue to satisfy the growing storage needs of leading automotive manufacturers by offering a variety of advanced eUFS lineups, while more thoroughly addressing the ever-increasing demand for leading-edge memory solutions in other market segments, too.

* Editor’s Note: MIPI UniPro^® is a general purpose, unified protocol that services a wide range of interface needs in mobile and connected devices. The interface was developed by the MIPI Alliance UniPro Working Group and has been available since 2007. Its current version, v1.61, was released in 2015. For more information, please visit https://mipi.org.