First samples of MIPI A-PHY chip
Valens is shipping samples of its VA7000 chipset family to more than 25 automotive customers and partners, including four leading automotive OEMs and more than 10 Tier-1 prospective customers, for evaluation and integration into platforms.
The A-PHY standard for high speed in-vehicle video connectivity was released by the MIPI Alliance in September 2020 and was adopted by the IEEE standards association in 2021.
The higher performance of the VA7000 chipsets will enable automotive OEMs to enhance their Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) capabilities and to take a step towards the software-defined vehicles by providing 8Gbit/s per link with a deserializer aggregating 32Gbit/s, and with a roadmap to 16Gbit/s per link with link distances up to 15 m. The packet error rate of 10-19 is orders of magnitude lower than the competition and allows the links to operate over low-cost unshielded cables and connectors.
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This will allow the industry to remove costly and proprietary bridge CSI-2 extension solutions widely used today, in favour of a Digital Signal Processing (DSP)-based standardized protocol, which will simplify the connectivity infrastructure in the car says Valens.
“The release of the first products implementing A-PHY is an important milestone – not just for Valens, but for the automotive industry as a whole,” said Gideon Kedem, SVP and Head of Automotive at Valens Semiconductor. “As more and more automotive players adopt the standard and spec it into their product roadmaps, the VA7000 is poised to be the keystone chipset of in-vehicle sensor connectivity for years to come.”
Valens is demonstrating the VA7000 connecting a remote 8 Mega Pixel camera as well as a surround view system over Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cabling.
It is also working with Sumitomo Electric Industries ensure that Sumitomo Electric’s wiring harness systems meet the channel requirements of the A-PHY specification, while Valens will add the Sumitomo Electric cable assembly and matching on-board connectors as an ordering option for its VA70XX customer evaluation kits.
Sumitomo Electric will provide differential/coaxial cables that meet the A-PHY specification, and the two companies will work together to expand the variety of cabling options in the future.
“At Sumitomo Electric, we view A-PHY as the connectivity infrastructure underlying the cars of tomorrow, so it was important for us to make sure our cables meet this standard’s channel requirements,” said Hiroki Hirai, Sumitomo Electric General Manager of CAS-EV Development Promotion Division. “We are excited to help Valens bring additional flexibility to their evaluation kits and to provide a faster route towards the deployment of A-PHY by OEMs, both in Japan and around the world.”
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