The MIPI Alliance has released MIPI A-PHY v2.0, an updated version of its automotive high-speed asymmetric serializer-deserializer (SerDes) physical-layer interface. This new version increases the maximum downlink data rate to 32 Gigabits per second (Gbps) on a single channel, doubling the previous capacity. It also introduces an additional uplink gear supporting up to 1.6 Gbps, an eight-fold increase in speed. These enhancements aim to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of emerging vehicle architectures.

MIPI A-PHY was developed to facilitate the integration of automotive image sensors and displays with their electronic control units (ECUs). It is designed for applications such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), digital cockpits, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), and autonomous driving systems (ADS). The interface offers a reach of up to 15 meters, a packet error rate of 10-19 over a vehicle’s lifetime, and forms the foundation of MIPI’s Automotive SerDes Solutions (MASS).

A-PHY v2.0 introduces several new features. It extends PAM4 support up to gear 5 (16 Gbps) and adds two new gears, G6 and G7, with PAM8 and PAM16 encoding for speeds of 24 and 32 Gbps, respectively. The new version also includes a faster 1.6 Gbps uplink gear to support symmetrical 1 Gbps Ethernet channels over A-PHY links. To facilitate implementation, no changes were made to the upper layers of A-PHY v2.0, ensuring compatibility with previous versions.

The MIPI Alliance is developing a compliance program to support testing and implementation of A-PHY devices. This program will be introduced in phases, with the next test event scheduled for early December 2024.