As the auto industry rapidly shifts to autonomous driving and AI-based decision-making, the role of automotive semiconductors is becoming far more important than in the past.

Embedded security company MobilWithus, led by Chief Executive Hanna Park (박한나), said it has completed development of a software security driver that can operate in a multicore-based high-performance vehicle computer (HPVC) environment.

Park said in-vehicle decision-making functions for physical AI are expanding rapidly and automotive semiconductor specifications are rising each year. She said the company developed technology that can verify software integrity and detect tampering even in high-performance environments equipped with multicore and communications functions.

Security technology responding to changes in automotive architecture

MobilWithus said the key focus of the project was structural change in automotive architecture. As autonomous driving, physical AI and in-vehicle intelligent control functions expand, automotive semiconductors are evolving beyond simple control into structures that perform multiple computations and decision-making at the same time.

Park said recent vehicles operate like a single computer, and multicore-based high-performance computing is becoming standard. She said the existing single-ECU-centered security approach has limits in such environments, requiring new security technology that also considers high-performance, multi-computation structures.

MobilWithus said it developed a security driver capable of software integrity verification and tamper detection even in multicore environments and implemented the technology at a level suitable for application in real vehicles.

A turning point in advancing technology beyond single-core to multicore

The HPVC security driver developed this time is the result of advancing existing vehicle ECU-centered security technology. MobilWithus said it expanded the software integrity verification technology it had accumulated into multicore environments and designed it to operate reliably in high-performance vehicle computing structures that combine communications.

It said a strength is that it was developed based on the most widely used automotive semiconductor environments in the global market, securing versatility that can be applied immediately to various OEMs and semiconductor platforms.

MobilWithus said its technology is based not on a simple software method but on a hardware-software convergence structure that uses an internal security area of semiconductors. It said this enables software integrity to be verified at the hardware level and secures higher reliability and security.

Park said researchers in cryptographic mathematics, embedded system experts and automotive security specialists are developing the technology together. She said collaboration with global semiconductor companies enabled security technology that can be applied in various chipset environments.

MobilWithus' two core products: MobilSherpa and MobilCrypto

MobilWithus said it currently provides vehicle security solutions centered on two core products. It said MobilSherpa is an integrated vehicle security solution that verifies whether in-vehicle software has been forged or altered and protects key data safely. It said the solution has already been applied to various models, including Hyundai Motor Group's Genesis, demonstrating technical stability.

It said MobilCrypto is the encryption solution that underpins MobilSherpa and supports domestic and international standard encryption algorithms as well as post-quantum cryptography (PQC). As concerns grow over the safety of existing cryptographic systems with the commercialization of quantum computers, MobilWithus is being assessed as having secured technology to proactively respond to future threats.

Accelerating global expansion through technology-based growth

MobilWithus said its expansion into overseas markets is also accelerating. It said the number of global partners increased to 5 from 2024, and it is notable that Japanese major semiconductor maker Renesas was newly included as a partner. It said it is also collaborating with about 20 auto parts companies at home and abroad, and the number of companies applying MobilCrypto has increased to more than 10.

It said external assessments are also positive. MobilWithus was selected for the 2025 Startup-Centered University programme, supported by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation and hosted by Hanyang University, and was assessed as an outstanding company.

MobilWithus, which has recorded steady sales growth since its establishment, said it also successfully заверш заверш? It said it successfully wrapped up a pre-Series A investment round last year and has been hearing assessments that its technology and business model are being validated in the market.

Expanding beyond cars to robots, drones and space

Park said the company currently provides embedded security solutions centered on automobiles, but plans to expand applications to all industries that need semiconductor-based software security, including robots, ships, drones and aerospace, outlining a mid- to long-term vision.

Park said completing development of the software security driver for HPVC is a result that objectively proves MobilWithus' technological capabilities in the field of embedded security solutions for vehicles. She said the company aims to position itself as a provider of integrated solutions that meet security requirements across various industries.