Fail-Safe Frames: Why Chips&Media’s ASIL-B Video IP Matters

As vehicles evolve into software-defined, increasingly autonomous platforms, video processing is becoming part of the safety-critical computing chain. Camera feeds support functions ranging from surround-view monitoring and driver assistance to object detection and automated driving. If the hardware processing those feeds produces corrupted, delayed, or frozen frames, the consequences can extend far beyond poor image quality. A vehicle may make decisions using incomplete or inaccurate visual information.

That is why Chips&Media’s achievement of ISO 26262 ASIL-B certification for its WAVE6331X FuSa video codec intellectual property is significant. Awarded by independent certification body DNV following more than two years of research and development, the certification demonstrates that the IP was developed and assessed according to internationally recognized automotive functional-safety practices. It also marks an important step in Chips&Media’s expansion from consumer multimedia technology into safety-conscious automotive semiconductor applications.

ISO 26262 provides a framework for managing risks caused by malfunctions in automotive electrical and electronic systems. Automotive Safety Integrity Levels, or ASILs, determine the rigor of the safety measures required, with levels ranging from ASIL-A through ASIL-D. Achieving ASIL-B therefore represents more than meeting a conventional performance specification. It requires a structured safety lifecycle, documented engineering processes, systematic verification, and mechanisms for identifying and controlling relevant faults.

WAVE6331X FuSa is designed to detect internal hardware faults and data corruption during vehicle operation. Its safety mechanisms include real-time cyclic redundancy check protection and instruction-flow monitoring. When the IP detects a relevant anomaly, it can notify the wider system and support a transition to a safe state within a defined fault-response interval. This capability can help reduce the risk that frozen or corrupted video frames will contribute to a malfunction in an advanced driver-assistance or automated-driving system.

The architecture also addresses a persistent engineering tradeoff. Functional-safety mechanisms often require redundant logic, monitoring circuitry, and diagnostic functions, potentially increasing silicon area and power consumption. In automotive systems—where thermal limits, energy efficiency, and semiconductor cost all matter—those penalties can impede adoption. Chips&Media says its low-power architecture integrates the necessary safety measures while minimizing additional area and power overhead. That combination gives system-on-chip designers a more practical path to incorporating safety-oriented video processing.

Another important aspect is codec flexibility. Automotive video implementations have often relied on established formats partly because newer codecs create additional verification and certification challenges. Chips&Media has extended its ISO 26262-based functional-safety development approach across AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265, AV1, and VP9 technologies. Support for this broader portfolio gives semiconductor manufacturers more freedom to select codecs based on compression efficiency, bandwidth, image quality, and application requirements without abandoning a structured functional-safety strategy.

WAVE6331X FuSa is certified as a Safety Element out of Context, or SEooC. This means the IP was developed against defined assumptions before being integrated into a particular vehicle system. Customers remain responsible for validating the complete system and confirming that those assumptions are satisfied. Nevertheless, a certified SEooC package—including safety manuals and development guidance—can reduce duplicated analysis, shorten integration and assessment work, and lower risk for automotive SoC developers and Tier 1 suppliers.

Commercially, the certification strengthens Chips&Media’s position in a market where proven safety engineering can be as important as codec performance. The company reports that its multimedia IP is already used by three of the world’s five largest automotive semiconductor companies. It also plans to apply the same functional-safety framework to emerging AV2 and VVC compression technologies.

Bottom line: The importance of WAVE6331X FuSa lies in trust. As machine perception assumes greater responsibility inside vehicles, every supporting component must behave predictably—and fail safely. By combining advanced video compression, fault detection, efficient implementation, and independently assessed development practices, Chips&Media is helping turn video codec IP from a multimedia building block into a more dependable component of the automotive safety architecture.

CONTACT CHIPS&MEDIA

Sources: Chips&Media announcement via the Edge AI and Vision Alliance; Digital Today certification report; TÜV SÜD overview of ISO 26262.

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