LX Semicon has started mass production of its independently developed automotive microcontroller unit (MCU), the ‘LX61101’, and is supplying it to Hyundai Motor and Kia. This represents the first case of an automotive MCU designed by a South Korean fabless company being delivered to domestic automakers, signaling that LX Semicon’s business diversification strategy is beginning to yield tangible results.
LX Semicon announced on the 10th that the LX61101 has begun being integrated into Hyundai and Kia vehicles produced in the second half of this year, with plans to sequentially expand the range of vehicle models supplied. The product is a system semiconductor that controls motor speed, position, rotation direction, and torque in real-time within automotive body electronic systems. Based on a 40MHz ARM Cortex-M3 core, it is utilized in vehicle window safety devices and aerodynamic control systems. A representative application is the function that automatically reopens a window if an obstacle is detected while it is closing.
This mass production achievement is the first fruit of the automotive MCU business that LX Semicon has been cultivating as a future growth engine since 2022. While LX Semicon has primarily grown through its display driver IC (DDI) business, it entered the automotive semiconductor sector to diversify its business portfolio and respond to the expanding electrification of the automotive industry.
After being selected as a new supplier for Hyundai and Kia’s ‘motor function-specialized MCU’ in 2023, LX Semicon underwent approximately three years of development and quality verification. During this process, the product met the AEC-Q100 automotive semiconductor reliability standard and the ISO 26262 international functional safety standard.
Note: AEC-Q100 is an automotive semiconductor reliability test specification established by the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC), jointly founded by Chrysler, Ford, and GM in the 1990s. It consists of seven test groups including accelerated stress and life testing, along with operating temperature grades from Grade 0 to 3. ISO 26262 is an international functional safety standard that manages risks arising from malfunctions in electrical, electronic, and software components, assigning ASIL ratings from A (lowest) to D (highest) based on risk level. Both standards are considered minimum prerequisites for supplying to automakers. (Source: AEC, ISO)
The LX61101 is also significant in that South Korean companies participated across the entire supply chain, from design to foundry and back-end processing. Industry observers are paying close attention, noting this as the first case where South Korea’s top fabless company LX Semicon, leading automakers, and the system semiconductor production and back-end processing ecosystem have been organically connected.
The global automotive MCU market is estimated at approximately 15.5 trillion won (approximately $10.9 billion) as of 2025. Starting with this motor control MCU, LX Semicon plans to expand its product lineup into communications, drive, sensor, and power applications, cultivating its automotive semiconductor business as a mid-to-long-term growth driver.
An LX Semicon representative stated, “We will nurture the automotive MCU business over the mid-to-long term, broadening our product lineup beyond control units into communications, drive, sensor, and power applications,” adding, “Through automotive semiconductors, we will expand the company’s growth opportunities and contribute to broadening the foundation of South Korea’s automotive industry and semiconductor sector.”
Meanwhile, LX Semicon recorded consolidated revenue of 401.1 billion won (approximately $283.3 million) and operating profit of 22 billion won (approximately $15.5 million) in the second quarter of this year. These figures represent increases of 6.0% and 115.1% year-over-year, respectively, demonstrating strengthening growth momentum as new business achievements complement an improving earnings trend.
CategoryQ2 2026YoY ChangeMarket Estimate (Hyundai Motor Securities)Revenue401.1 billion won+6.0%384 billion wonOperating Profit22 billion won+115.1%19 billion wonOperating Margin5.5%+2.8%p-
Note: Both revenue and operating profit exceeded market estimates. (Source: Seoul Economic Daily, 2026-07-24)