"Stable Power Solutions Support Essential for SDV Transition"

Complex Electronic and Power Architecture; Stable Power Supply, Protection, and Monitoring are Key

MPS Supports SDV Through PMIC Protection, Protection IC, Sensing, and Distributed Power Solutions

[Editor's Note] In the SDV era, as vehicle electronic and power architectures become more complex, stable power supply, protection, and monitoring become critical. Reliable power solutions must be established to implement SDV. Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) is actively supporting the SDV transition by enabling the construction of stable power architectures through PMIC, protection IC, sensing, and distributed power solutions. In light of this, we have arranged an interview with Lee Jun-ho, Director at MPS and automotive electrical systems expert, to discuss in detail the power architecture and power conversion necessary for SDV.

■ I am curious about the biggest change that SDV transition has brought to automotive power architecture

Fundamentally, it can be viewed as a transition from "distributed power supply" to "centralized intelligent power management."

While existing vehicles had a structure that supplied power individually to each ECU by function, SDVs are evolving in a direction to manage vehicle power integrally based on central computing and zonal architecture.

Accordingly, the power system itself has become established as core infrastructure that performs not just voltage supply but also power distribution, protection, and condition monitoring.

For example, as protection methods expand from mechanical fuse-based approaches to semiconductor-based protection technologies such as e-Fuse, more precise power control and system diagnostics become possible.

In future SDVs, how efficiently and stably high currents required for AI processors and high-performance computing platforms can be supplied, and how power design technology that maintains system availability even in fault situations can be realized, will become important factors that determine vehicle competitiveness.

■ How is the difficulty of low-voltage, high-current power design changing with the expansion of central computing and zonal architecture

As central computing structures have expanded recently, the difficulty of power design has increased to a degree that makes comparison with the past difficult.

The latest AI SoCs and high-performance processors must stably receive hundreds of amperes of current in ultra-low voltage environments below 1V.

In such an environment, even minute voltage drops (IR Drop), ripple, or instantaneous load changes can cause system performance degradation or malfunction, making very fast transient response and high voltage accuracy essential.

Additionally, high-efficiency power conversion for heat management, precise current sensing, EMI/EMC compliance, and package and thermal design must all be considered together, making the power solution itself a core factor that determines system performance.

Consequently, power design capability itself is evolving into core competitiveness that maximizes SDV computing performance and ensures system stability.

■ I would like to understand what role smart ideal diode controllers and similar front-end protection technologies play in SDV reliability

Front-end protection technology can be considered the first safety device for ensuring SDV stability and availability.

Since SDV must stably operate autonomous driving, OTA, and various vehicle services, it is very important to quickly protect the system from abnormal conditions such as reverse voltage, overcurrent, and surge that can occur at the input stage.

Smart ideal diode controllers perform the role of effectively protecting the system from power anomalies while reducing power loss and heat generation compared to conventional diode methods.

Furthermore, when power redundancy occurs during vehicle operation, they enable smooth and rapid power switching, contributing to uninterrupted power supply for vehicle computing and securing high levels of system reliability.

■ I am curious about how current sensing and digital power monitoring can be connected with SDV diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and safety control

In the SDV environment, the power system is evolving beyond a simple power supply device into a core data source for understanding vehicle condition in real time.

Through current sensing and digital power monitoring, by continuously collecting information such as voltage, current, power, and temperature, early detection of system load changes and component degradation signs becomes possible.

This data can be linked with vehicle control systems to judge abnormal situations more quickly and perform necessary protection operations.

Additionally, such power data is expected to not only support functional safety implementation based on ISO 26262 but also become a core axis that improves SDV vehicle availability through remote diagnostics and OTA updates, and ensures system-wide stability.

■ I would like to know how MPS can support the SDV power platform through highly integrated power modules, protection ICs, sensors, and motor drivers

MPS provides a broad portfolio of core analog and power semiconductors necessary for SDV implementation, including power management ICs (PMIC), highly integrated power modules, smart protection ICs, current sensing solutions, magnetic position sensors, and motor drivers.

Particularly, as power requirements for central computing and AI processors are increasing rapidly in SDV, power solutions that simultaneously satisfy high efficiency, high power density, and high reliability have become important.

MPS's power modules contribute to reducing design complexity and shortening development time based on high integration, and protection ICs and current sensing solutions support vehicle power stability and functional safety implementation.

Additionally, magnetic position sensors and motor drivers enable precise control necessary for electrification systems and improved vehicle control performance.

Going beyond individual product supply, based on various technologies spanning from power supply to protection, sensing, and motor control, we support customers in implementing more efficient and reliable SDV platforms.

■ Finally, what message would you most like to convey to participants through e4ds Tech Day 2026

The transition to the SDV era is changing not only automotive electronic architecture but also the paradigm of power architecture.

Power design is now a core technology that determines computing performance, system reliability, and functional safety, rather than simple power supply.

We hope that this tech day will be an opportunity to introduce the excellence of MPS's power solutions and jointly discuss power design challenges faced in actual development processes.

Going forward, MPS plans to continue technological innovation to enable customers to implement next-generation SDV platforms more stably based on ultra-high-efficiency, highly integrated, and high-reliability power technologies.

Meanwhile, the presentation by Lee Jun-ho, Director at Monolithic Power Systems (MPS), on the topic of "The Future of Power Architecture and Power Conversion for the SDV Era," can be heard at "e4ds Tech Day 2026." Registration can be made by clicking the banner below.