Renesas Electronics Corporation has expanded its fifth-generation (Gen 5) R-Car family with the introduction of the R-Car X5H, an automotive system-on-chip (SoC) designed to facilitate the transition toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Manufactured using advanced 3nm process technology, the device is engineered to simultaneously manage diverse vehicle functions, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), and gateway systems, within a single multi-domain architecture.
The R-Car X5H features 32 Arm Cortex-A720AE CPU cores and six Cortex-R52 lockstep cores providing ASIL D support. It delivers over 1,000k DMIPS of processing power and 4 TFLOPS equivalent of GPU performance for high-end graphics. For AI-intensive tasks, the SoC provides up to 400 TOPS of performance, with the ability to scale acceleration by four times or more through the use of chiplet extensions. The move to the 3nm node allows the device to achieve up to 35 percent lower power consumption compared to previous 5nm solutions.
To support early-stage development of complex E/E architectures, Renesas has released the R-Car Open Access (RoX) Whitebox Software Development Kit (SDK). This open platform is built on Linux, Android, and the XEN hypervisor, with additional support for partner operating systems such as AUTOSAR, QNX, and Red Hat. The SDK includes integrated AI and ADAS software stacks intended for real-time perception and sensor fusion, as well as support for generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to enhance human-machine interaction in intelligent cockpits.
The development environment integrates production-grade application stacks from several industry partners, including Candera, DSP Concepts, Nullmax, Smart Eye, STRADVISION, and ThunderSoft. These tools are designed to provide a path for developers to build L3/L4 autonomy and gateway systems with seamless software update capabilities.
“Since introducing our most advanced R-Car device last year, we have been steadfast in developing market-ready solutions, including delivering silicon samples to customers earlier this year,” said Vivek Bhan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of High Performance Computing at Renesas. “In collaboration with OEMs, Tier-1s and partners, we are rapidly rolling out a complete development system that powers the next generation of software-defined vehicles. These intelligent compute platforms deliver a smarter, safer and more connected driving experience and are built to scale with future AI mobility demands.”
The hardware platform supports inputs from eight high-resolution cameras and up to eight displays with resolutions reaching 8K2K. This high level of integration utilizes mixed criticality technology, allowing the SoC to execute functions across multiple domains without compromising functional safety.
“Integrating Renesas’ R-Car X5 generation series into our high-performance compute portfolio is a natural next step that builds on our existing collaboration,” said Christian Koepp, Senior Vice President Compute Performance at Bosch’s Cross-Domain Computing Solutions Division. “At CES 2026, we look forward to showcasing this powerful solution with Renesas X5H SoC, demonstrating its fusion capabilities across multiple vehicle domains, including video perception for advanced driver assistance systems.”
“Innovative system-on-chip technology, such as Renesas’ R-Car X5H, is paving the way for ZF’s software-defined vehicle strategy,” said Dr. Christian Brenneke, Head of ZF’s Electronics & ADAS division. “Combining Renesas’ R-Car X5H with our ADAS software solutions enables us to offer full-stack ADAS capabilities with high computing power and scalability. The joint platform combines radar localization and HD mapping to provide accurate perception and positioning for reliable ADAS performance. At CES 2026, we’ll showcase our joint ADAS solution.”
Renesas is currently shipping R-Car X5H silicon samples and evaluation boards to select customers and partners. The company intends to demonstrate the multi-domain capabilities of the platform at CES 2026, showcasing the integration of ADAS and IVI stacks alongside edge AI functionality.
