The automotive industry worldwide is witnessing a paradigm shift towards Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs). Modern electric and self-driving cars feature digital cockpits, which have developed from rudimentary instrument clusters into full-scale multi-display control centers, including panoramic displays, passenger entertainment displays, augmented reality heads-up displays (AR-HUDs), and digital side mirrors. Nevertheless, while automotive OEMs increase the number of high resolution displays in their cars, automotive engineers now have to solve an important engineering problem related to video display connectivity fragmentation.
For decades, to connect multiple displays to a central cockpit domain controller, it was required to use proprietary and vendor-specific SerDes (Serializer/Deserializer) chipsets and large heavy wires.
Using proprietary display interfaces caused major problems for OEMs.
Vendor-specific SerDes chipsets added extra weight to vehicle wiring, increased bill-of-materials (BOM) costs, limited dual sourcing opportunities, and compelled automakers to create software drivers for each screen manufacturer separately.
To efficiently scale Software-Defined Vehicles in the future, the automotive industry needs open and high-speed display connectivity standards.
Dismantling this connectivity barrier, leading global automotive supplier Marelli and semiconductor pioneer Microchip Technology Incorporated announced a partnership pioneering the industry’s first open-standard display connectivity solution for Software-Defined Vehicles.
By integrating Microchip’s ASA (Automotive SerDes Alliance) compliant chipsets with Marelli’s cockpit domain controllers and display modules, the collaboration delivers a standardized video transport architecture that streamlines multi-screen integration, reduces harness weight, and lowers total manufacturing costs for global automakers.
Open ASA-Compliant Video Connectivity for Digital Cockpits
This partnership has developed a hardware and software open standard reference architecture for easy video data transfer between central processing unit systems and digital displays of vehicles. Developed through the use of open standards by the Automotive SerDes Alliance (ASA), the technology offers high-bandwidth video connectivity along with automatic display diagnostics and safety measures needed for ISO 26262 certification.
Technical and operational foundations for the alliance include:
Open-Standard Architecture: Utilizes the open standards provided by ASA to ensure interoperability of various display, silicon, and domain controller manufacturers.
High-Bandwidth Video Connectivity: Provides high-resolution video streaming up to 4K and 8K over low-weight unshielded twisted pair cables to reduce the weight of vehicle wiring harnesses.
Safety and Diagnostics: Has been designed with features that ensure that it conforms to the automotive safety integrity levels B/D (ASIL).
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Dual Sourcing: Provides options for automobile makers to source display panels and SerDes silicon from more than one supplier.
“Vehicles are evolving to software-defined architectures, and the display interfaces have to change from closed silo solutions to scalable open standards,” said Ravi Puvvala, vice president, Marelli.
Impact on the Automotive Industry
The strategic collaboration between Marelli and Microchip signals fundamental structural developments across the broader Automotive landscape:
1. Dismantling Proprietary Silicon Lock-In
Historically, silicon vendors maintained high margins by locking automakers into proprietary SerDes ecosystems, forcing OEMs to purchase matched pairs of serializer and deserializer chips. Commercializing open ASA display solutions formalizes the industry evolution toward Open Hardware Interoperability. Automakers gain freedom to mix and match display drivers, graphics processors, and video receivers from diverse suppliers.
2. Reducing Harness Weight to Extend EV Range
One of the main heavy sub-assemblies of any modern electric car is the physical wiring harness. Replacement of heavy shielded cables by light ASA-compliant unshielded twisted pairs will have an impact on reduction of the vehicle’s mass. This in turn means better energy efficiency that helps EV producers to increase vehicle range without making batteries bigger.
Overall Impact on the Business of Entities Participating in the Industry
For automotive OEMs, Tier-1 system integrators, display panel producers and semiconductor producers, collaboration between Marelli and Microchip results in certain operational advantages:
Reduction of BOM Costs: Standardization of display silicon enables competition between semiconductor producers thus lowering manufacturing cost of advanced digital cockpits per unit.
Fastening Time-to-Market: Open reference designs already pre-validated let Tier-1 suppliers add new display layouts and domain controllers in months instead of months when using custom-built products.
Improvement of Supply Chain Reliability: Multi-sourcing display components prevents production stops because of semiconductor shortage from one supplier.
Conclusion
Marelli and Microchip Technology’s introduction of an open-standard display connectivity solution marks a vital milestone in the evolution of software-defined vehicles and digital cockpit architectures. By pairing Microchip’s open ASA-compliant silicon with Marelli’s domain controller expertise, these two technology leaders are providing a practical blueprint for next-generation automotive electronics. For the global automotive sector, this news confirms that future market leadership belongs to open, adaptable, and cost-effective computing architectures capable of delivering immersive mobility experiences at scale.
