MIPI UniPort-M Selected by Google for Modular Smartphone "Project Ara"

UniPort-M ideal for mobile communications that require high speed, low power, scalable and flexible solutions

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF., (April 15, 2014) - The MIPI^®Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, is proud to announce that Google, Inc.(NASDAQ: GOOG) has chosen the MIPI UniPort-M protocol for its smartphone Project AraModule Developers Kit (MDK).

MIPI UniPro^SM(Unified Protocol) transport layer, combined with MIPI M-PHY^®, creates the MIPI UniPort-M interface, which has the ability to connect any application specific protocol. MIPI UniPort-M was designed as a universal, chip-to-chip, interprocess communication that is ideal for mobile communications that require high speed, low power, scalable and flexible solutions. MIPI UniPort-M provides versatility that simplifies the interconnection of peripherals and reduces time-to-market and design costs. Target devices for UniPro/UniPort-M include smartphones, tablets, digital cameras and multimedia devices.

“Google’s selection of MIPI UniPort-M only reinforces the intent and vision for which it was originally developed. Project Ara needed a high speed, flexible and low power solution to address the modular nature of the smartphone,” said Joel Huloux, chairman of the board, MIPI Alliance. “MIPI M-PHY was created to offer significant power savings, making it perfect for Google’s Project Ara.”

"We selected the UniPro/M-PHY protocol stack for the Project Ara platform due to our need for real-time adaptability, scalability, and performance. We're excited to work with the MIPI Alliance to support and advance the UniPro and M-PHY protocol standards, and with the industry to encourage and facilitate widespread adoption across a broad range of mobile components and peripherals," said Paul Eremenko, head of Project Ara, Google.

MIPI UniPro is used in a wide range of components including application processors, co-processors and peripheral devices, allowing usage of different application layers. MIPI UniPro specification supports different types of data traffic including control messages, bulk data transfer and packetized streaming. Additionally, the re-useable, extensible nature of the specification simplifies new feature implementation in future, high-speed applications.

"Google's Project Ara represents fresh and innovative approach to creating a modular and highly customizable mobile device. However, issues related to cost and time to market and interoperability can hinder the introduction of products before they have the opportunity to prove themselves in the market. Thus, the selection of MIPI's UniPro protocol can help smooth the go-to-market process while also providing a technically efficient standard that will help create a powerful user experience,” said William Stofega, program director, mobile device technology and Trends at IDC.

Jürgen Urban, Chair of the MIPI UniPro Working Group, is presenting at Google’s Project Ara Module Developers ConferenceApril 15, 2014 at 2:45 p.m. PDT. This is the first of three Developer Conferences planned for 2014. The Conference, occurring today and tomorrow, is focused on the alpha release of the Ara Module Developers Kit (MDK), which utilizes MIPI UniPort-M protocol.

The Developers Conference is being held in-person at the Computer History Museumin Mountain View, Calif., and live-streamed online.

For information regarding Project Ara’s Developers Conference agenda visit:
http://www.projectara.com/agenda.

For more information about the MIPI Alliance and its specifications, please visit www.mipi.org.

Laudatory quotes from MIPI Alliance members:

AgilentTechnologies
"Being able to reliably test standards that connect modular systems - like Google's Project Ara - is essential," said Roland Scherzinger, MIPI Program Manager, Agilent Technologies. "The MIPI UniPort-M protocol provides built-in test support features that address these requirements."

Arasan Chip Systems Inc
“MIPI UniPro is a very versatile and flexible standard. Therefore, it is used not only within MIPI, but also by UFS 2.0; a JEDEC standard,” said Zachi Friedman, senior director of marketing, Arasan Chip Systems Inc.“The new networking support being added to UniPro will enhance future mobile architectures, such as Project Ara.”

Cadence
"The inclusion of MIPI Unipro and M-PHY in Project Ara is further proof of the protocols’ ability to deliver the best chip-to-chip interprocess communications for mobile applications,” said Mao Liu, director of product marketing, IP Group at Cadence. “With a proven integrated design and verification IP solution for MIPI Unipro and M-PHY, Cadence enables customers to quickly implement this high-speed, low-power connection while reducing their time to market.”

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation
“Lattice is pleased that our ECP3 family of FPGAs helped Google realize their Project Ara vision by providing critical flexibility and functionality to implement the MIPI UniPro protocol in each module in the MDK,” said David Rutledge, chief technology officer, Lattice Semiconductor Corporation. “MIPI UniPro protocol is an ideal networking solution for Project Ara modules due to its application-agnostic, multi-master capabilities and providing high data rates and low energy per transferred bit. Lattice ECP3 FPGAs are an ideal platform for Project Ara with MIPI UniPro implementation because of its programmable flexibility, small form factor (10mm x 10mm) and low power consumption. This combination enables Google’s team to innovate ‘at the speed of mobility’ in order to deliver the MDK in record time."

Synopsys
“The MIPI UniPort-M interface helps to address the low power, high performance needs of the latest mobile devices, including those enabled by Google's Project Ara,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and prototyping at Synopsys. “Our silicon-proven DesignWare® IP supporting the MIPI UniPro, MIPI M-PHY and JEDEC UFS standards enables designers to achieve the stringent power, bandwidth and latency requirements of mobile SoCs utilizing the UniPort-M interface for chip-to-chip communication.”

Toshiba Electronics Europe
“MIPI UniPort-M is already used for mass storage with JEDEC UFS and for Camera with MIPI CSI-3. The Ara program will open new innovation opportunities that will leverage the usage of MIPI UniPort-M,” said Ariel Lasry, chief engineer at Toshiba Electronics Europe. “MIPI UniPort-M is the best in-class interface to enable easy-to-use, reliable and low-power modular Smartphone architecture.”

About MIPI Alliance
MIPI Alliance (MIPI) develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries. Founded in 2003, the organization has more than 250 member companies worldwide, more than 15 active working groups, and has delivered more than 45 specifications within the mobile ecosystem in the last decade. Members of the organization include handset manufacturers, device OEMs, software providers, semiconductor companies, application processor developers, IP tool providers, test and test equipment companies, as well as camera, tablet and laptop manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.mipi.org.