At the recent CES 2022, Funzin and KDPOF have jointly presented their optical in-vehicle network solution for autonomous vehicles. Funzin, software development and edge AI solution company, have implemented KDPOF’s KD1053 PHY IC and integrated KD9351 FOT (fiber optic transceiver) in the new Funzin AIoT Platform “FAIP 3.0” and Edge AI Device “Photon” for automotive. Read more
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Tasks and Responsibilities
- Verify digital logic using SystemVerilog and reusable, standardized methodologies. Verify digital systems that use both custom and standard IP components and interconnects, including microprocessor cores and hierarchical memory subsystems.
- Contribute to verification and modeling at the chip top level.
- Debug tests with design engineers to deliver functionally correct design blocks. Work closely with the design and test teams to define test specifications, verification plans and manufacturing transfer.
Tasks and Responsibilities
- Specification of the analog and mixed signal blocks that are embedded in the system (ADC, DAC, PLL, data interfaces, optoelectronics …).
- Design (from schematic to full verification at extracted level) of the analog and mixed-signal blocks in sub-nanometric CMOS processes. It means being involved in the full AMS design flow: system-level design, schematic, layout and full verification.
- Definition of layout guidelines for layout engineers and review of their work.
- Collaboration with the test engineers for the testing definition of the fabricated ICs. Review and analysis of lab characterization data for validation and correlation with simulation results.
Tasks and Responsibilities
Member of the R&D team in charge of the development of embedded firmware running on the company integrated circuits microprocessors, as well as development of the test programs used in production testing. The responsibilities of the Firmware/Test Engineer also include:
- Development of the continuous integration tests of the microprocessor firmware during ASIC prototyping.
- Participate in specification and review of the PCBs used to implement the production testing of the company’s products.
- Participation on the development of technology evaluation vehicles as well as software development kits.
- Automatization of laboratory tests and measurements using programming languages like Matlab, TCL, Python.
KDPOF proudly announces that Funzin, software development and edge AI solution company, have integrated their KD1053 IC and integrated KD9351 FOT (fiber optic transceiver) in the new Funzin AIoT Platform “FAIP 3.0” and Edge AI Device “Photon” for automotive. “An automated driving car requires networks capable of controlling and processing a great deal of sensor data,” explained Ms. Deuk Hwa Kim, CEO/President of Funzin. “Our automotive network solution features an Ethernet backbone environment based on plastic optical fiber (POF) to eliminate electronic wave interference.” Read more
For BlastingTalks – Blasting News’ exclusive interviews with business and cultural leaders – Carlos Pardo has given an interview about KDPOF’s alternative to traditional fiber optics that allows for use in harsh environments and requires no technical expertise to install: Read more
KDPOF is looking forward to participating in the upcoming virtual ISCAS 2020 from October 10 to 21 with several contributions: a presentation on multi-gigabit Ethernet for the automotive industry, an overview lecture on high-speed data communications over POF, and an important role in the final industry panel session. The IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) is the flagship conference of the IEEE Circuits and Systems (CAS) Society and the world’s premiere networking forum for researchers in the highly active fields of theory, design, and implementation of circuits and systems.
Presentation: Towards the Multi-Gigabit Ethernet for the Automotive Industry
On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, from 17:15 to 18:55, session Chairmen Enrique Prefasi Sen, Analog and Mixed Signal Senior Designer of KDPOF, and Alberto Rodríguez-Pérez, Analog and Mixed Signal Manager of KDPOF, will present the paper “Towards the Multi-Gigabit Ethernet for the Automotive Industry”. The paper, within the special session “Multi-gigabit Wireline & Optical Communication Circuits & Systems Session”, will show the status of Ethernet-based communication solutions, focused on optical links for the automotive industry. First, the presenters will display the implementation of a product compatible with the 1000BASE-RHC according to the IEEE Std 802.3bv, which is the first one able to transmit 1 Gbps over POF for automotive. Second, the KDPOF experts will describe a new architecture to achieve up to 25 Gbps for automotive. The proposed multi-gigabit system leverages existing technologies such as VCSELs, multi-mode fibers, and photodiodes already developed for the data center industry.
Lecture: High-Speed Data Communications over Plastic Optical Fibers
Alberto Rodríguez-Pérez will give an overview lecture on Saturday, October 17, 2020, from 16:00 to 16:45 in virtual room 2. In his lecture, Alberto will show an overview of the use of Plastic Optical Fiber as a medium for optical data communications and the techniques needed to get high speed data bitrates over POF. It is an interesting alternative optical communication channel to the Glass Optical Fibers (GOF) for applications that are not required to cover long distances, such as home or automotive networking. However, the reduced low bandwidth of the POF channel imposes big limitations in the maximum data bitrate that can be transmitted through this medium. Consequently, advanced data communication techniques such as channel equalization, data error correction, or data signal modulation need to be applied to achieve data bitrates above 1 Gbps.
Industry Panel
KDPOF is also substantially involved in the final Industrial Panel Discussion on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, from 16:45 to 17:45. Alberto Rodríguez-Pérez will chair the panel and Rubén Pérez de Aranda, CTO of KDPOF, will participate as panelist.
Aukua Systems Inc., provider of Ethernet test and monitoring solutions, and KDPOF are proud to announce the success of their technology partnership for ISO 21111 standardization. Recently, two additional sections, ISO 21111-3:2020 and ISO 21111-5:2020, of the international in-vehicle Ethernet ISO standard series 21111 have been published. “By providing their MGA2510 Ethernet Test and Monitoring Platform, Aukua Systems have supremely equipped the test setup for ISO certification,” stated Carlos Pardo, CEO and Co-founder of KDPOF.
Successful Technology Partnership Results in ISO Standard for Optical In-Vehicle Gigabit Connectivity

Suds Rajagopal is Co-Founder of Aukua Systems
KDPOF supports the test ecosystem to make sure that ECUs including their technology will be tested by recognized test houses and based on the ISO standard. “We are delighted to support the overall standard for optical gigabit connectivity in vehicles with ISO 21111 complementing the existing IEEE Std 802.3bvTM,” added Suds Rajagopal, Co-Founder at Aukua Systems. “By leveraging Aukua’s test solutions, carmakers and Tier1s now have access to a complete, compatible, and interoperating implementation based on these standards.”
ISO 21111 Standardization
For reliable implementations of systems that implement in-vehicle Ethernet Optical 1 Gb/s as a physical layer, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has added two new sections to the in-vehicle Ethernet series 21111: ISO 21111-3:2020 specifies additional features to IEEE 802.3bv, such as wake-up and synchronized link sleep algorithms. ISO 21111-5:2020 specifies requirements at the system level and a complete conformance and interoperability test plan for ECU providers that implement optical 1 Gb/s physical layer as specified in ISO 21111-3.
About Aukua Systems
Aukua Systems Inc. is a leading provider of Ethernet testing and visibility solutions. Whether developing, validating, deploying, supporting or managing applications or networks, their products help improve performance and make networks more secure. The Aukua product line includes packet capture tools, analyzers, traffic generators, and impairment emulators. Since 2015, equipment manufacturers, semiconductor companies, automotive OEMs and Tier1’s, large enterprises, service providers, and government agencies worldwide have depended on Aukua to build stronger networks.
At the virtual Wire Harness Congress on September 22, 2020, KDPOF will display insights and update on Optical Multi-Gigabit Connectivity. In their presentation at 15:50, Juergen Schachtschneider, Automotive Manager Central Europe & Greater China, and César Esteban, Applications & Support Manager, will prove how automotive networks profit from optical technology. Electric and autonomous driving architectures are substantially pushing the challenges for wiring systems. Issues include electromagnetic interference (EMI), electromagnetic susceptibility (EMS), and weight reduction. On top, automotive applications, utilization, and safety requirements are boosting the necessary network speed tremendously. The new 48-volt electrical architecture in cars additionally pushes the envelope in terms of cross-domain isolation requirements. Copper links for communication rates above 100 Mb/s need heavy and expensive solutions to comply with the stringent OEM’s EMC specs, resulting in high cost and very difficult engineering. Moreover, the weight of the ever-growing diameter of the required cables plays against the race for range increase of electrical powertrains.
The presentation will prove how optical network technology overcomes these trends thanks to its inherent galvanic isolation, robustness, low cost, and low weight. Carmakers will benefit from optical links for communications between the 48-volt and the 12-volt domains. For weight, the optical network will save more than 30 percent of the equivalent copper-based harness weight. Optical Ethernet provides 100 Mb/s and 1 Gb/s network solutions today, and multi-gigabit Ethernet is the significant upcoming breakthrough for in-vehicle networks. The standardization effort for optical multi-gigabit is already in progress within the IEEE as an amendment to the Ethernet standard 802.3.