Xscend enables high-bandwidth camera and display connectivity, passenger information systems, and safety-critical monitoring for next-generation trains -- delivering ruggedized silicon that performs flawlessly across the demanding rail environment.
Today's rolling stock relies on an expanding network of onboard electronics: surveillance cameras for passenger safety, real-time passenger information displays, signaling and train control systems, and condition-monitoring sensors distributed throughout each consist. These systems require high-bandwidth video links over cable runs of 50 to 100 meters through some of the harshest electromagnetic interference environments in transportation.
Legacy coaxial and analog solutions struggle to meet the data rates, reach, and reliability demanded by modern digital rail architectures, creating bottlenecks that limit system capability and increase maintenance burden.
Rail operators face relentless pressure to reduce wiring weight and complexity while simultaneously improving system reliability and meeting stringent safety standards. Every kilogram of copper removed from a train translates directly into energy savings over a 25-year service life, and every connector eliminated is one fewer potential point of failure.
Xscend's integrated silicon solutions consolidate multiple discrete components into single devices, reducing harness weight, simplifying installation, and enabling compliance with SIL safety integrity levels and EN 50155 railway standards -- all while delivering the performance headroom needed for future system upgrades.
Deploying advanced electronics across a modern train demands solutions engineered for extreme reach, harsh conditions, and uncompromising safety requirements.
Onboard CCTV cameras and passenger information displays must connect over cable runs of 50 to 100 meters, passing through carriages and across articulation joints. Maintaining high-definition video integrity at these distances through EMI-heavy train environments is a persistent engineering challenge that conventional interfaces cannot reliably address.
Rail electronics must withstand extreme temperature swings from -40 to +85 degrees Celsius, continuous mechanical vibration, shock from track irregularities, and intense electromagnetic interference generated by traction motors, inverters, and pantograph arcing. Components must sustain reliable operation across a 25-year design lifetime under these punishing conditions.
Safety-critical rail subsystems require SIL-rated components with deterministic behavior, built-in redundancy, and comprehensive diagnostic coverage. Meeting these certification requirements adds complexity to system design and limits the pool of qualified semiconductor components available to rail integrators.
Purpose-built silicon that addresses the unique connectivity, power, and monitoring demands of modern railway systems.
Delivers up to 8 Gbps of uncompressed video data over 15+ meters of low-cost twisted pair cabling, with inherent resilience to electromagnetic interference. Ideal for connecting onboard CCTV cameras and high-resolution passenger information displays across carriages, eliminating the need for bulky coaxial harnesses while providing the bandwidth headroom for future 4K upgrades.
Xscend's isolated gate drivers support up to 1700V isolation, engineered for driving IGBT and SiC MOSFET switches in traction inverters and auxiliary power converters. Designed to operate reliably under the extreme thermal cycling, vibration, and EMI conditions found in rail traction systems, they provide the robust, deterministic switching performance that rail power electronics demand.
Integrated sensor interface ICs enable continuous condition monitoring of critical mechanical systems including wheel bearings, bogie components, and pantograph assemblies. On-chip signal processing supports predictive maintenance algorithms, allowing operators to detect degradation early and schedule maintenance proactively -- reducing unplanned downtime and extending component service life.
Wide input voltage range power management ICs designed to comply with EN 50155 railway standards, handling the voltage transients and supply variations inherent in train power buses. Integrated protection, sequencing, and monitoring features simplify power tree design while ensuring stable, efficient power delivery to sensitive onboard electronics across the full operating temperature range.
Talk to our rail solutions team about how Xscend's integrated silicon can reduce wiring complexity, improve reliability, and future-proof your onboard electronics.
