June 19, 2012 -- The MIPI Alliance and the USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced the completion of the SuperSpeed USB Inter-Chip (SSIC) specification. The specification defines a chip-to-chip USB-based internal interconnect for mobile devices as well as other platforms. SSIC offers MIPI Alliance's M-PHY high-bandwidth and low-power capabilities combined with SuperSpeed USB performance enhancements.

The M-PHY interface, a high-speed serial interface, targets up to 2.9Gbps per lane with scalability up to 5.8Gbps per lane and offers a low pin-count and exceptional power efficiency. SuperSpeed USB offers a 5-Gbps signaling rate, up to 10 times faster than Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0), enhanced protocol and power management and backward compatibility with the existing USB device and software model.

"MIPI Alliance is focused on enabling enhanced performance within mobile devices," said Joel Huloux, MIPI Alliance Chairman of the Board. "With SSIC uniting the M-PHY physical layer with the SuperSpeed USB protocol layer, manufacturers and developers can benefit from the new mobile, low-power technology." "SSIC opens the door for a broad range of USB-enabled functions to migrate into a huge mobile market," said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. "This chip-to-chip interface may also find its way back into the PC ecosystem for its low-power benefits."

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group developed the SSIC specification and has transitioned the specification's management to the USB Implementers Forum, Inc. (USB-IF). The USB 3.0 Promoter Group is now accepting adopters of the SSIC specification.

About the USB 3.0 Promoter Group

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group, comprising Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, Renesas Electronics, ST-Ericsson and Texas Instruments, developed the USB 3.0 specification that was released in November 2008. In addition to maintaining and enhancing this specification, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group develops specification addendums to extend or adapt its specifications to support more platform types or use cases where adopting USB 3.0 technology will be beneficial in delivering a more ubiquitous, richer user experience.