Shaping the Future of Aviation: Honeywell and NXP's Groundbreaking Partnership

Honeywell And NXP Zero In On Aviation’s Future

The future of aviation will be safer, smarter, more autonomous and powered by high-performance microprocessors. Next-generation cockpits, safety and navigation systems will need a major boost in computing power to drive higher levels of autonomy and pilot performance.

“That’s why Honeywell and NXP Semiconductors extended our partnership to include developing new chipsets and technologies tailored specifically for our Aerospace Technologies portfolio,” said Electronic Solutions President Bob Buddecke.

“NXP has extraordinary capabilities that are already helping us set new standards for flight deck innovation with Honeywell Anthem,” Buddecke continued. “We’re very excited to expand our relationship and work together on innovations that will help shape the future of aviation.”

Defining the Future Cockpit with Honeywell Anthem 

Honeywell Anthem is the company’s groundbreaking sixth-generation cloud-connected flight deck, which sets new standards for efficiency, flexibility and ease of operation. 

Faster, more powerful semiconductors will help position Honeywell Anthem as the flight deck of the future for all kinds of aircraft, including long-range business jets and other large platforms that require larger displays. NXP chips will enable large-format displays that are crisp, clean and intuitive, with state-of-the-art 3D graphics and many AI-enabled features.

“Honeywell and NXP are jointly developing state-of-the-art chips that will deliver maximum performance now and for years to come,” said Jeff Woirhaye, Honeywell Senior Director, Project Management. “These chips are being designed to strike the ideal balance with the latest technology that will remain relevant far into the future.”       

“More powerful processors will help Honeywell create avionics that improve pilot situational awareness,” Woirhaye added. “For example, our SmartView synthetic vision system (SVS) and Surface Indications and Alerting System (SURF-IA), which reduces the chances of runway and taxiway incursions, can be easily developed and deployed using the NXP i.MX8 Quad Max graphics processor.”

Coming Together as ‘Natural Partners’

 “Honeywell and NXP are natural partners in aviation, which comes from a shared system vision that’s transferable across the many domains of Honeywell’s expertise,” said NXP Chief Technology Officer Lars Reger. “We can’t wait to see how this complementary mindset and our NXP portfolio and system solutions can help accelerate aviation product development and chart the path for autonomous flight.”

Announced at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show, the aviation piece of the Honeywell-NXP relationship is off to a fast start, according to Vipul Gupta, Vice President and General Manager for Avionics, “We are already working to define requirements for custom chips that can push the boundaries of avionics technology for the next iteration of Honeywell Anthem and future integrated cockpits,” he said.

“Computer chips are the lifeblood of avionics,” Gupta added. “The chips NXP is developing with Honeywell will help us deliver next-generation cockpits with advanced graphics and bigger, better and brighter displays. They will greatly improve safety and reduce pilot workload using AI, machine learning and higher levels of cockpit automation. It’s great to have an innovative partner like NXP in our corner.”  

Beyond the cockpit, Honeywell and NXP are exploring opportunities to develop chips for use in other aviation systems, including flight safety and navigation technology. In addition, NXP application processors are used in Honeywell's Building Management, Fire Safety and Security products.