The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops specifications to standardize wired interfaces for mobile and connected ecosystems, announced a major milestone for its A-PHY specification, as a global automotive OEM installs the first automotive-grade SerDes chipset based on the standard. This marks A-PHY’s debut as the first industry-standardized automotive SerDes solution to reach mass production.
Velinktech, a MIPI contributor member, said its high-speed automotive SerDes chipset has entered production in the 06 Relive compact SUV model by Lynk & Co, a global automotive brand launched in 2016 through a joint venture between Geely Auto Group and Volvo Car Group.
The production rollout follows earlier design wins by Valens Semiconductor, whose A-PHY chipsets have been selected by several European OEMs for models scheduled for production in 2026. Valens’ A-PHY-compliant chipsets are also used by Mobileye to provide in-car, sensor-to-compute connectivity for its EyeQ 6 autonomous driving programs with multiple global automotive brands.
MIPI A-PHY provides OEMs and automotive suppliers with a standardized, long-reach solution—supporting cable lengths up to 15 meters—for high-speed image sensor and display connectivity. The specification underpins next-generation ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), ADS (Automated Driving Systems), and software-defined vehicle (SDV) centralized compute applications. A-PHY v1.0 was adopted as an IEEE standard (IEEE 2977-2021) and supports multiple higher-layer protocols, forming part of MIPI’s Automotive SerDes Solutions (MASS) framework with built-in functional safety and security.
A key feature of MIPI A-PHY is its royalty-free licensing model, allowing members to implement the specification without additional essential patent licenses.
“MIPI A-PHY is widely regarded as an ideal physical layer specification for L3+ autonomous driving and immersive smart cockpits,” said Evan Zhang, CEO of Velinktech. “Its maturity allowed us to develop a reliable automotive-grade chip that meets stringent automotive regulations and can be mass-produced and deployed rapidly. Achieving this milestone is a significant accomplishment, and we anticipate additional OEM design wins in the near term.”
The A-PHY ecosystem has grown to more than 50 companies designing products based on the specification. Hezi Saar, chair of MIPI Alliance, said the milestone underscores A-PHY’s leadership in automotive connectivity, citing interoperability, system-level efficiency, and reliability as key advantages driving adoption across the industry.
To support the ecosystem, MIPI Alliance is rolling out an A-PHY Compliance Program, enabling OEMs and system designers to verify that devices meet specification standards. Several test events have already been held, with participation from nearly a dozen companies. The next event is scheduled for December 2025 in Taipei. Valens Semiconductor has also announced interoperability with seven companies, signaling growing momentum for A-PHY technology in the global automotive sector.
