PCI-SIG and the MIPI Alliance announced that they have begun procedural reviews of the Mobile PCI Express (M-PCIe) specification that will lead to its completion and availability. This technology will allow the PCI Express architecture to operate over the MIPI M-PHY physical layer technology and extend the benefits of this I/O standard to a variety of mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones and ultra-thin laptops.
The adaption of PCIe protocols operating over the M-PHY physical layer will provide a "low-power, scalable solution that enables interoperability and a consistent user experience across multiple devices." Additionally, the layered architecture of the PCIe I/O technology will facilitate the "integration of the power-efficient M-PHY with its extensible protocol stack to deliver best-in-class and highly scalable I/O functionality for mobile devices."
Joel Huloux, Chairman of the MIPI Alliance Board stated that "the M-PCIe specification provides the Mobile industry with decades of innovation in PCIe technology coupled with the proven M-PHY physical layer that meets low-power requirements needed for today’s mobile device platforms". Brian O'Rourke, a Senior Principal Analyst at IHS further added that "M-PCIe offers developers power-efficiency with high scalability using the PCIe protocol,” said Brian O’Rourke, Senior Principal Analyst, IHS. “The implementation of M-PCIe will provide the Mobile industry with truly scalable PCIe solutions to meet consumer demand for next generation mobile devices."
The Mobile PCI express specification is expected to be available to PCI-SIG members in early Q2 on the PCI-SIG website.
