CAMERAS

GMSL vs FPD-Link vs MIPI A-PHY: How Product Teams Choose the Right Camera SerDes

Huy Duong

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28 December 2025

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4 mins

GMSL vs FPD-Link vs MIPI A-PHY: How Product Teams Choose the Right Camera SerDes

As products add more cameras—often placed far from the main processor—connectivity becomes a product architecture decision, not just a hardware detail.

Automotive systems, robots, industrial machines, and wearables all face the same question:

How do we reliably connect remote cameras without redesigning the entire platform?

The answer is SerDes. But choosing which SerDes technology—GMSL, FPD-Link, or MIPI A-PHY—has long-term implications for cost, risk, and roadmap flexibility.

Why Traditional MIPI Is Not Enough

MIPI CSI-2 and DSI were designed for short, internal connections—like phone cameras or laptop displays that sit just centimeters from the processor.

They work extremely well inside a device. They struggle once the camera moves outside the board.

Limitations of Traditional MIPI

  • Very short reach (typically <20–30 cm)
  • Sensitive to electrical noise
  • Fragile connectors and cables
  • Poor fit for multi-camera or harsh environments

For products with remote cameras, these limitations quickly become blockers.

What SerDes Changes

Serdes Traditional MIPI is limited to short board-level connections, while SerDes enables long-reach, robust camera links.

SerDes (Serializer / Deserializer) converts short-range MIPI signals into a long-reach, robust link, then converts them back near the processor.

From a product perspective, SerDes enables:

  • Cable lengths of meters, not centimeters
  • Single-cable designs (data + power + control)
  • Stable performance in noisy environments
  • Scalable multi-camera systems
  • Minimal impact on SoC software

Traditional MIPI is a board-level interface.
SerDes turns it into a system-level architecture.

Which SerDes?

Once a team accepts that native MIPI isn’t sufficient for remote cameras, the decision shifts from whether to use SerDes to which SerDes strategy to adopt.

This is where GMSL, FPD-Link, and MIPI A-PHY diverge.

  • GMSL and FPD-Link extend MIPI using proprietary, mature ecosystems focused on speed and reliability.
  • MIPI A-PHY aims to standardize long-reach connectivity and reduce vendor lock-in over a product’s lifetime.

All three solve the same technical problem—but they make very different business and roadmap tradeoffs.

GMSL Typical GMSL setup with a remote camera module connected to a central processor over a single cable.

Owned by: Analog Devices (formerly Maxim)

What it is:
A proprietary SerDes technology purpose-built for cameras and high-speed sensor data.

Why product teams choose it

  • Deployed in millions of vehicles
  • Very low latency
  • Transparent MIPI CSI-2 integration
  • Power, data, and control over one cable

Tradeoffs

  • Strong vendor lock-in
  • Limited interoperability
  • Premium BOM cost

Best fit
Products that prioritize low risk and fast time-to-market.

FPD-Link FPD-Link architecture commonly used in automotive and industrial camera systems.

Owned by: Texas Instruments

What it is:
A long-standing SerDes family originally developed for displays, now widely used for cameras.

Why product teams choose it

  • Automotive-proven and highly reliable
  • Strong multi-camera support
  • Seamless MIPI CSI-2 compatibility
  • Tight integration with TI platforms

Tradeoffs

  • Proprietary ecosystem
  • Similar lock-in profile to GMSL
  • Comparable cost structure

Best fit
Products already aligned with TI supply chains or platforms.

MIPI A-PHY

MIPI A-PHY MIPI A-PHY standardizes long-reach camera connectivity for future automotive platforms.

Owned by: MIPI Alliance (open standard)

What it is:
The first standardized long-reach physical layer designed specifically for automotive and industrial camera systems.

Why it exists

  • Reduce fragmentation
  • Enable multi-vendor interoperability
  • Support long product lifecycles
  • Meet future safety requirements

Advantages

  • Open standard
  • Designed for functional safety
  • Long-term roadmap flexibility

Current limitations

  • Ecosystem still emerging
  • Fewer production deployments today
  • Slightly higher integration effort

Best fit
Products with long lifecycles and platform reuse goals.

Side-by-Side Comparison (PM View)

Criteria GMSL FPD-Link MIPI A-PHY
Ownership ADI (Proprietary) TI (Proprietary) Open Standard
Market maturity Very high Very high Emerging
Vendor lock-in High High Low
Latency Ultra-low Ultra-low Ultra-low
SoC integration Very easy Very easy Easy (growing)
Automotive adoption Widespread Widespread Growing
Long-term flexibility Limited Limited High

How Product Teams Should Decide

Choose GMSL or FPD-Link if:

  • Time-to-market is critical
  • You need proven reliability today
  • Vendor lock-in is acceptable
  • Product lifecycle is 3–7 years

Choose MIPI A-PHY if:

  • You’re building a long-lived platform
  • Interoperability matters
  • You want supplier flexibility
  • Future automotive safety requirements are a priority

Final

GMSL and FPD-Link win on maturity and speed.
MIPI A-PHY wins on openness and future-proofing.