Etiforce (CEO Ho-Jun Kim), a domestic V2X (vehicle-to-everything) specialized startup, has taken its first step toward localizing V2X chipsets by unveiling its domestically produced V2X chipset to the public for the first time.

Ettifos officially unveiled its first V2X-dedicated chipset, 'ESAC (Ettifos SIRIUS Accelerator Chip),' at the 'SEDEX Semiconductor Exhibition' held at COEX in Seoul from October 22nd to 24th.

ESAC is a V2X accelerator chip developed based on Etiforce's proprietary software-defined modem (SDM) technology, and is the first V2X-dedicated chipset designed with domestic technology.

Existing V2X equipment has been dependent on foreign chipsets, which has led to ongoing issues of royalty burden and technological dependency. However, with the emergence of ESAC, it is assessed that the foundation for technological independence at the chipset level has been established in Korea.

In particular, ESAC supports both LTE-V2X and 5G-V2X, and can transition to next-generation communication standards with only an over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade without hardware replacement.

This is the national LTE-V2X by the end of 2023. It is also aligned with the Korean government's infrastructure construction direction, which has adopted it as a communication standard, enabling a natural transition to 5G-V2X in the future.

Etifos plans to initially implement ESAC on its Roadside Unit (RSU) equipment, enabling it to build a flexible infrastructure that can continuously reflect the latest communication technologies while maintaining installed hardware.

Over the past two years, ESAC has verified its core IP through collaboration with major domestic research institutes such as KETI, KIAPI, KATECH, and ETRI, as well as global partners from the US, Japan, Spain, Taiwan, Singapore, and UAE. It has also successfully completed interoperability testing with foreign chipsets, securing commercial-level communication quality.

The ESAC released this time is implemented in the form of an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) based on this IP, and boasts high reliability and stability.

Etiphos recently secured a total of KRW 18 billion in Series B investment from 11 investors, including LB Investment, L&S Venture Capital, and Kyobo Securities, bringing its total investment to KRW 30.5 billion.

This is a result of recognition of the company's communication modem design technology, and the company plans to expand its business area to NTN (non-terrestrial network communication) and defense industry chipsets in the future.

Etiforce CTO and Managing Director Hyun-goo Heo said, “ESAC is the first result of Etiforce’s concentrated communication semiconductor design capabilities,” and added, “We will further enhance our V2X chipset roadmap and expand into various industrial fields in the future.”