The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that creates interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, has released MIPI A-PHY v2.0, the latest version of its automotive high-speed asymmetric serializer-deserializer (SerDes) physical-layer interface.
A-PHY v2.0 doubles the maximum downlink data rate from 16 Gbps to 32 Gbps on a single channel and introduces an enhanced uplink gear, increasing speeds by eight times to 1.6 Gbps. These upgrades address the growing bandwidth needs of next-generation vehicle architectures, such as zonal systems.
MIPI A-PHY is designed to deliver high-performance links between automotive image sensors, displays, and their electronic control units (ECUs). It simplifies the integration of more sensors and displays for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), digital cockpits, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), and autonomous driving systems (ADS).
A-PHY supports long-distance reach of up to 15 meters, offers exceptional reliability with a packet error rate of 10-19, high noise immunity, low latency, and minimal bandwidth channel requirements. It forms the foundation of MIPI’s Automotive SerDes Solutions (MASS) framework, ensuring safety, security, and data protection for connected automotive systems.
Key features of MIPI A-PHY v2.0 include:
- PAM4 support extended to gear 5, enabling speeds up to 16 Gbps.
- Two new gears (G6 and G7) with PAM8 and PAM16 encoding, delivering 24 Gbps and 32 Gbps, respectively.
- A faster uplink gear, supporting 1.6 Gbps, which enables 1 Gbps Ethernet channels for automotive peripheral control.
Migration from earlier versions is simplified as A-PHY v2.0 is fully interoperable with v1.1 and v1.0, allowing seamless coexistence of devices using different versions.
“MIPI A-PHY continues to evolve, offering unprecedented bandwidth and flexibility while maintaining its strong noise immunity and resilience,” said Sanjiv Desai, chair of MIPI Alliance. “This new version supports a wider range of speed and design requirements, positioning A-PHY to meet the future demands of the rapidly changing automotive sector.”
To aid implementation, MIPI Alliance is also developing a compliance program for OEMs and device manufacturers, with the next testing phase scheduled for early December 2024.
