OMNIVISION and Valens Semiconductor announce MIPI A-PHY-compliant camera

The companies will include Valens Semiconductor's new VA7000 A-PHY-compliant chipsets inside OMNIVISION's Automotive Reference Design System (ARDS) camera modules. The initial camera module will also include the OX08B40 image sensor from OMNIVISION.

Since its release by the MIPI Alliance in late 2020, A-PHY, the standard for high-speed in-vehicle connectivity, has garnered significant momentum within the industry. In 2021, the IEEE standards association adopted A-PHY in its entirety as one of its own standards. Automotive Tier-1 and Tier-2 technology suppliers, such as OMNIVISION, have been working to adopt the standard for their next-gen solutions for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) applications. Valens Semiconductor is the first company to launch A-PHY compliant chipsets, having started shipping samples of its VA7000 product family to select customers and partners in December 2021.

The collaboration between Valens Semiconductor and OMNIVISION will pave the way for the development of A-PHY-compliant camera systems, allowing for smaller camera designs, reduced power consumption, lower camera cost, and interoperability with the wider A-PHY ecosystem. Both companies will demonstrate the A-PHY reference design at AutoSens Detroit (May 10-12, 2022).

"We're thrilled to partner with Valens Semiconductor to allow our customers to easily evaluate A-PHY, a new global standard optimized for high-speed sensor-to-ECU connectivity, which we believe will present a significant business opportunity for our company," said Boyd Fowler, Chief Technology Officer at OMNIVISION. "It is a major step that the automotive industry can now work around a connectivity standard, which is built from the ground up to deal with the specific challenges in the car while bringing significant cost savings to the ecosystem as a whole. We look forward to taking our place in this impressive new development around MIPI A-PHY."

"OMNIVISION has always been a pioneer in adopting cutting edge technologies with their sensor solutions, which is why it's no surprise that they're forging ahead with A-PHY," said Gideon Kedem, SVP and Head of Automotive at Valens Semiconductor. "The A-PHY ecosystem continues to grow, with OEMs, Tier 1s and Tier 2s already evaluating our VA7000 chipset family for high-speed video connectivity. It is becoming crystal clear that this is going to be the leading connectivity solution for ADAS applications in cars around the world."