Samsung Electro-Mechanics produces power inductors to target future car market

The power inductors with a width of 2 millimeters and a height of 1.6 millimeters developed by Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. [Courtesy of Samsung Electro-Mechanics]

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., an integrated parts manufacturer under South Korea’s Samsung Group, has begun mass-producing power inductors, a key component of electric and autonomous vehicles, as the company plans to focus on the future mobility market by targeting this market.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced on Sunday that it has mass-produced power inductors used in cameras of electric vehicles with autonomous driving systems for the first time. It is a key component that stably supplies power to semiconductors that process autonomous driving information by preventing sudden changes in current.

A power inductor converts the power from the battery into the power required by the semiconductor and provides a steady supply of current. A single car uses more than 100 power inductors, more than twice as many as a smartphone.

Demand for automotive power inductors is expected to more than double by 2030 as electric and autonomous vehicles are increasingly used.

The performance of a power inductor is determined by the number of magnetic materials and coils that can be wrapped inside and Samsung Electro-Mechanics has developed two types of power inductors with a width of 2 millimeters and a height of 1.6 millimeters. The thin coils formed on the substrate are more productive and easier for miniaturization than coils wrapped around a magnetic material, according to the company.

They also meet the standards of automotive electronics reliability test AEC-Q200, which requires a high level of reliability, and can be widely used in other applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and infotainment.

The electric part maker’s move to target the power inductor market after multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) is due to its promising future growth potential. It has been promoting the expansion of its power inductor business by upgrading the electronic device team to the electronic device business team in December last year.