Delphi partners with Valens to enable infotainment, automated driving technology

April 7, 2017
Delphi Automotive made a strategic investment in Valens, an Israel-based leader in signal processing capability, which is a key enabler for the expanding connectivity and computing needs in vehicles.

Delphi Automotive PLC made a strategic investment in Valens, an Israel-based leader in signal processing capability, which is a key enabler for the expanding connectivity and computing needs in vehicles.

"Demand for increased connectivity, active safety and greater vehicle automation requires best-in-class signal and power distribution capabilities along with a robust data management strategy," said Kevin Clark, Delphi president and chief executive officer.  "Delphi's vision is to enable the 'brain' and 'nerve center' of the vehicle through our leadership in computing and electrical architecture. This partnership strengthens our capability in this space."

"The connected car is one of the world's most remarkable innovations, and we are committed to delivering the necessary infrastructure to realize its potential," said Dror Jerushalmi, chief executive officer, Valens. "Working with Delphi, Valens is better positioned to accelerate the adoption of HDBaseT Automotive as the technology of choice for in-vehicle connectivity."

Valens is the developer of HDBaseT, the global standard for transmission of ultra-high definition video, audio, Ethernet and controls data. Valens introduced its HDBaseT Automotive technology to address the challenges of the connected car, including the increasing amount of bandwidth and wiring necessary required for infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Delphi and Valens will be working closely together to advance solutions for in-vehicle connectivity based on HDBaseT Automotive and Delphi's technologies. To further support the commercial partnership, Delphi made a minority investment in Valens.

In a related announcement, Valens said it secured an additional $60 million in capital to fuel the company's inroads into the automotive industry with its HDBaseT technology. The round was led by Israel Growth Partners (IGP), and includes Delphi, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Goldman Sachs and MediaTek as new investors, in addition to Valens' existing investors.

This latest funding round will allow Valens to speed up time to market, develop additional products per market demands and support customers with design and development projects.

"Valens is deeply committed to the automotive market, which represents a major growth area for the company, and this financing round strengthens the ecosystem we are building to do so. Delphi, Samsung Electronics, who recently completed the acquisition of HARMAN International Industries, a provider of audio and infotainment systems for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, and MediaTek are leading players in the sector and value the potential of our solution for the advancement of the connected car," said Jerushalmi, Valens' co-founder and CEO.

Valens introduced its HDBaseT Automotive technology in 2016 to address the challenges of the connected car, including the increasing amount of bandwidth and wiring necessary to cater to infotainment and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ("ADAS") needs.

During the past year, Valens has made considerable progress in the automotive industry, including:

  • Having HDBaseT Automotive be selected by Daimler as the technology of choice to guarantee high performance of advanced infotainment and telematics systems.
  • Launching the first automotive silicon to demonstrate the transmission of high-throughput, time-sensitive applications over an HDBaseT Automotive link while using a standard UTP channel.

"We have made some significant strides in the automotive market in the past year, and the support of IGP, who has a solid track record of investing in technology companies in growing markets, and of the unique investors' syndicate participating in this round is a testament to this success and to our drive to continue doing so going forward," commented Jerushalmi.

As part of this investment round, Moshe Lichtman, co-founder and General Partner of IGP will join Valens' Board of Directors.

"Valens has shown its commitment to revolutionizing wired connectivity in several industries, and its success in the audiovisual and consumer electronics market is proof of it.  We have been deeply impressed with Valens' management team and with their collaboration with some of the world's leading automotive companies. We believe the Valens technology will be an important enabler in the era of connected and autonomous cars and we are looking forward to assisting the company in fully realizing its potential in the market," said Lichtman.

"Best-in-class signal and power distribution capabilities are key enablers for increasing levels of vehicle connectivity and automation," said Glen De Vos, Delphi senior vice president and chief technology officer.  "Our investment and partnership with Valens brings great opportunity to leverage the potential of HDBaseT Automotive technology in future mobility platforms."

"There is great potential in the automotive industry as it continues to embrace technological change. We see significant opportunity for Valens to benefit from this trend and look forward to supporting the company's growth going forward," commented Michael Ronen, Partner at Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division and head of Automotive 2.0 Banking.

Established in 2006, Valens provides semiconductor products for the distribution of ultra-high-definition (HD) multimedia content. The company's HDBaseT technology enables long-reach connectivity of devices over a single cable and is a global standard for advanced digital media distribution. For more information, visit www.valens.com,

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