MIPI Alliance’s Plugfest focuses on sensor interface specs

The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, announced the successful completion of its first MIPI I3CSM Plugfest interoperability event.

The plugfest, held March 27-28 in Barcelona, Spain, in conjunction with the MIPI Alliance Member Meeting, provided the first opportunity for early adopters of the new MIPI I3C sensor interface to perform interoperability testing of their designs for smartphones, IoT, automotive and other applications. The event drew participants from semiconductor, IP and test equipment firms, demonstrating industry commitment to MIPI I3C and paving the way for commercialization of products and devices based on the specification. It highlighted the importance of interoperability testing early in the design cycle to ensure seamless functionality between devices and speed up time to market.

“Plugfests are an essential step in the product development process because the testing and debugging activities take place in real-world system integration environments, helping companies ensure interoperability of their components, improve product quality, speed the development process and optimize the manufacturability of their designs,” said Ken Foust, chair of the MIPI Alliance Sensor Working Group.

Speed the development process and optimize the manufacturability of their designs

“Participants found it extremely valuable to share lessons learned about the use and implementation of MIPI I3C,” Foust added. “We strongly encourage member companies to take part in these activities and look forward to offering more plugfests later this year.”

Companies tested four master devices and six slave devices during the event. Participating companies include: BitifEye Digital Test Solutions GmbH, Intel Corporation, Kionix, Inc., A ROHM Group Company, Lattice Semiconductor Corp., NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm Incorporated, Silvaco, Inc., STMicroelectronics, Synopsys, Inc. and Tektronix, Inc.

“MIPI I3C is very important to ST. We helped launch MIPI at the beginning and have continued to contribute in the development of the specification as an active member of the MIPI Sensor Working Group,” said Eugenio Miluzzi, ASIC design & verification engineer, STMicroelectronics. “The technology will clearly add value in all of our sensors.”