PUBLISHER: ResearchInChina | PRODUCT CODE: 2136502
PUBLISHER: ResearchInChina | PRODUCT CODE: 2136502
Automotive EMS Research: The boundaries between EMS providers and Tier1 suppliers are becoming blurred, and the supply chain model is evolving from a linear chain to a networked structure
Mainstream EMS providers are accelerating their automotive business layout, automotive electronics revenue is growing rapidly, and the foundry structure has changed from the original PCBA (SMT and Assembly) of small ECUs to high value-added products centering on DCUs under the SDV architecture. The automotive EMS market size has also grown rapidly.
The EMS market for ECUs and DCUs is mainly concentrated in autonomous driving DCUs, cockpit DCUs, ZCUs, XCUs, and chassis DCUs. OEMs are strongly willing to conduct independent R&D. By self-developing DCU top-level software algorithms, they can master the product definition of DCUs, gain more control over the supply chain, and create product differentiation.
The innovative supply chain model under the next-generation SDV architecture evolves from a linear chain to a networked structure
With the gradual differentiation of OEMs' independent R&D routes, some OEMs no longer pursue independent research and development of the entire chain, but split the R&D, manufacturing, and supply chain segments based on their own technical reserves. OEMs generally adopt the "hardware platformization" strategy. One DCU covers multiple vehicle models, and functional differentiation is achieved through differences in software configurations. OEMs develop vehicle software in-house but prefer to avoid building hardware and underlying BSP/AUTOSAR stacks from scratch. Customer requirements have shifted from simple "hardware assembly outsourcing" toward a standardized hardware foundation combining hardware and underlying software.
The one-stop turnkey model of "EMS provider X chip vendor X underlying software vendor" forges a standardized hardware platform
In the SDV era, the entire automotive industry chain is evolving from the previous "chain" structure to a "networked" structure: semiconductor vendors, solution providers, Tier1 suppliers and OEMs no longer transmit requirements layer by layer along a single chain, but are interconnected on the same network with parallel development and collaboration.
Currently, all parties in the SDV industry chain are exploring more flexible cooperation methods. Chip vendors extend upward to the underlying software and reference platforms, basic software vendors improve their status, OEMs upwardly master the vehicle architecture/SOA/application layer, and Tier1 suppliers or EMS providers undertake system integration and hardware implementation. For example, Flex, Infineon, and Vector collaborated to launch a scalable ZCU development kit; ST and AutoCore jointly released an Ethernet-based ZCU distributed audio solution, and UAES launched a "building block"-style platform solution, allowing OEMs to flexibly choose different supply levels from hardware to complete solutions.
The cooperation between EMS providers and chip vendors has been upgraded from the traditional "buying and selling of components" to a co-creation model of "joint research and development, deep binding", which can obtain the official BSP (board support package) and automotive reference design. It also helps to lock in chip production capacity in advance and ensure the security of the supply chain. EMS providers cooperates with underlying software vendors to secure pre-integrated middleware.
The in-depth binding of EMS providers, chip vendors, and underlying software vendors is essentially an upgrade from hardware foundry to Joint Design and Manufacturing (JDM). The joint adaptation and security verification of chips, hardware, and basic software in advance can provide a set of standardized hardware abstraction layers and deliver not only circuit boards to OEMs, but a "plug-and-play" computing power foundation, thereby enabling higher gross profits and locking in more new high value-added projects.
This cooperation model is more suitable for the next-generation zone architecture products such as DCUs, ZCUs, electric drive, and automotive power supply. OEMs can use production-ready automotive-grade designs, advanced software testing and integration, and cost- and performance-optimized chipsets to more efficiently design zone architectures and collaborate with upstream vendors to develop, reducing intermediate links, quickly responding to OEMs' customized needs, shortening time-to-market of products, and seizing market opportunities.
Example: In August 2026, ST demonstrated an intelligent high-voltage conversion platform developed with Flex. This powertrain system incorporates DAB-based primary DC/DC and backup DC/DC, and adopts a full suite of ST automotive-grade chips. Supported by bidirectional ultra-fast power conversion and ASIL-D compliant design, it delivers a brand-new vehicle power supply solution for software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and autonomous driving. The solution is led by Flex in system architecture design, integration and manufacturing, while ST provides full-link core semiconductor devices from control to power execution. The two form a deep binding cooperation model of "Tier1 system integration + top automotive-grade chip EMS". This platform is currently in the customer sampling phase, targeting new vehicle models.
The boundaries between EMS providers and Tier1 suppliers are becoming blurred
The boundaries between EMS providers and Tier1 suppliers are becoming blurred:
1.Tier1 suppliers move downstream: In order to absorb idle production capacity, some Tier1 suppliers have embarked on EMS. Their role is more like a "capability supplier", not only selling self-developed products, but also providing EMS for other partners;
2.EMS providers go upstream: Major EMS providers that started from consumer electronics (Luxshare Precision, Hon Hai, BYD Electronics, etc.), have altered their role thanks to acquisitions and technology accumulation. They have begun to directly supply OEMs as Tier 1 suppliers of chassis and autonomous driving products.
Taking Luxshare Precision as an example, in the first half of 2026, the company's automotive electronics revenue hit RMB32.391 billion, a year-on-year increase of 274.10%. The gross profit margin of the automotive electronics business was 14.14%, a year-on-year decrease of 0.06%, but higher than the company's overall average gross margin (11.78%). At present, Luxshare Precision is continuing to serve domestic and foreign mainstream OEMs, with multiple new projects entering mass production and production capacity keep expanding. This growth rate is powered by the continued implementation of Luxshare Precision's own automotive electronics product matrix and its acquisition of LEONI in 2025. It is expected that the automotive electronics business will account for more than 20% of revenue in the next 3-5 years, becoming the company's largest business segment and prompting the company's long-term rapid growth.
Through continuous investment and mergers and acquisitions, Luxshare Precision has transformed from an EMS provider and parts supplier to an automotive Tier1 supplier. Through several acquisitions, Luxshare Precision can provide complete automotive electronic system solutions to OEMs. Luxshare Precision has handled the "signal and energy transmission" (wire harness/connector) issue through the acquisition of LEONI, while Beijing West Industries has completed the execution closed loop of Luxshare Precision's "intelligent command -> body action" (brake-by-wire/active suspension). So far, Luxshare Precision's automotive business has formed a full-stack layout of "connectors -> wiring harnesses -> DCU -> intelligent chassis", with the content-per-car value jumping from RMB10,000 to RMB40,000. Therefore, Luxshare Precision has officially benchmarked against the world's top Tier 1 suppliers such as Bosch and Continental.
In 2026, Luxshare Precision plans to acquire Beijing West Industries so as to enter the field of intelligent chassis. As the competition for autonomous vehicles spreads down to the underlying execution system, the chassis execution layer after perception and decision-making is becoming a new valuable arena in the industry, which poses the core motivation for Luxshare Precision's acquisition. Different from cockpits, connectors and other fields deployed by Luxshare Precision previously, although the smart chassis is far away from users' perception, it is directly related to vehicle safety, control and comfort, setting higher entry barriers, where the core value of Beijing West Industries lies in.
Currently, Luxshare Precision's automotive electronics business has four high-value product lines: connection and wiring harness systems, smart cockpits, autonomous driving, and powertrain & chassis, covering all core aspects of new energy vehicles:
In terms of connection and wiring harness systems, it covers high-voltage/low-voltage/high-speed connectors, vehicle high- and low-voltage wiring harnesses, high-power charging guns and other products. Among them, the automotive wiring harness business has seen rapid expansion by leveraging LEONI's technology and production capacity;
In the field of intelligent cockpits, Qualcomm 8295/8255, AR-HUD, autonomous displays, T-BOX and other products have been mass-produced to meet higher requirements of intelligent cockpits;
In the field of autonomous driving, breakthroughs have been made in the research and development of products such as 4D radar, autonomous driving DCUs, and powerpacks (PPKs), supporting higway/urban NOA;
In the field of powertrain and chassis, all-in-one powertrain, MCUs, BMS, EMB, EPS and other products are gradually entering mass production, improving the layout of core automotive parts.
New arena for EMS providers and Tier1 suppliers: EAI robot EMS
The outbreak of embodied robot EMS has completely replicated the development path of smartphones. Top vendors focus on core technologies such as embodied models, motion control, and dexterous operation, and outsource hardware manufacturing to professional EMS providers to achieve a balance between technological innovation and mass production. At present, the outsourcing of the humanoid robot industry has gradually differentiated into three paths along the industrial chain and capability boundaries: robot EMS, core module EMS, and deeper joint development and manufacturing.
Robot EMS: Robot companies master product definition, system solutions and core technologies, while EMS providers handle assembly, testing and delivery. This is the most direct way for companies that have completed product finalization and hope to quickly expand production capacity. The competition in robot EMS hinges on production line organization, supply chain collaboration, and consistent delivery of complex electromechanical systems. This model is closest to the OEM logic familiar to the consumer electronics and automotive industries.
Core module EMS: Core modules inside the bodies of humanoid robots include joint modules, actuators, controllers, dexterous hands, drive units, etc. Compared with robot EMS, this model has higher added value and deeper involvement.
Joint development and manufacturing model: In this model, EMS providers no longer just receive drawings and requirements, but become involved in product design, process definition and mass production solution formulation earlier. They have shifted from providing "manufacturing services" to robot companies to delivering products with the latter.
The three EMS models correspond to three types of players: EMS providers, automotive and high-end equipment manufacturers, robotics and automation companies and their derivatives.
EMS providers: For EMS providers of consumer electronics, the mature capabilities of the consumer electronics supply chain provide perfect support for embodied robot EMS. Currently, humanoid robots have been involved in a standardized manufacturing system that fully matches the process capabilities of EMS providers. Top EMS providers such as Foxconn, Huaqin Technology, Luxshare Precision, and Jabil have transferred their 3C precision manufacturing experience to the field of robots. They have mature precision assembly, supply chain management, and quality control systems, which can reduce the manufacturing cost of a single robot by 30%-50% and shorten the delivery cycle by 50%. Therefore, they fill the production capacity gap of leading vendors who prioritize R&D over manufacturing.
Automotive and high-end equipment manufacturers: For automotive Tier1 suppliers, automotive AI capabilities have the same origin as robots. Tier1 suppliers such as Desay SV, Joyson Electronics, PATEO CONNECT+Internet of Vehicles, and ADAYO Group have also expanded their automotive-grade production lines into the EAI field based on their software and hardware manufacturing capabilities for automotive-grade products. The underlying technology structures of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots are actually different product forms of the same technology platform. Autonomous vehicles rely on sensors to perceive the environment, chips for decision-making and planning, and actuators to complete operations; humanoid robots use visual radar as the sensor, AI foundation models as the core cerebrum, and servo motors as motion terminals. Core technologies including sensors, chips, motors, motor controllers and batteries, which have been well-honed for new energy vehicles, create an overwhelming competitive advantage when adapted for humanoid robots.
Robotics and automation companies and their derivatives: They are inherently part of the robotics supply chain, so they not only understand the robot structure, but also have certain manufacturing capabilities. After the rise of humanoid robots, they began to shift from "making their own robots" to "making robots for others", looking for opportunities in robot assembly, system integration and even some EMS links. Their advantage is that they have a deeper understanding of robots per se and can better meet functional requirements during the manufacturing process. However, they still need time to verify the efficiency of large-scale manufacturing and supply chain.