MIPI I3C/I3C Basic Implementers Collaborate to Test, Improve Innovations

“By all measures, the event was a great success.”

That’s how Jonathan Georgino, founder of Binho LLC, described the recent MIPI I3C Interop Workshop in a post for his company’s blog. Other participants echoed his sentiments in a 27 September MIPI Alliance press release about the testing event. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say:

• “An incredible opportunity … to have a hands-on session with the experts working at the forefront of I3C”

• “The best part was, without a doubt, working side by side with well-prepared colleagues from other companies and learning from them.”

• “We eagerly anticipate future interoperability events and hope more attendees will join.”

Sixteen MIPI I3C®/I3C Basic℠ implementers from seven companies participated in the interoperability testing event, which was held 13-14 June in Munich, in conjunction with MIPI Member Meeting #60. Interoperability testing at the event ranged from initial to advanced and took place in a confidential environment involving both controller and target devices from both MIPI members and nonmembers.

 “Events such as the MIPI I3C Interop Workshop are so important because they help companies optimize the manufacturability of their designs, avoid deployment issues and deliver higher-quality products that their customers can rely on from day one,” said Sanjiv Desai, MIPI Alliance chair, in the press release. 

Binho's founder Georgino further elaborated in his blog post, adding:

"The collaboration among the teams from various companies was beautiful to see. Engineers from Semiconductor Company X sitting down with engineers from Semiconductor Company Y to help them exercise and validate the performance of their I3C devices, sharing their techniques and even using their own proprietary tools to create certain edge cases, was truly refreshing to see and be a part of. Keep in mind that X and Y are in fact direct competitors on many different sensing technologies.

It reminded me of the collaboration during undergraduate studies EE lab projects, where everyone is competing for the highest marks or grand prize, but at the same time, helping each other succeed. I'm not sure I've seen anything like this in this industry. I've now got direct connections to some of the world's leading experts with this protocol."

Additional plugfest opportunities are under consideration for 2023 and would likely again be held in conjunction with MIPI member meetings. Future events will be announced in member communications and on the Upcoming Events page on the MIPI website.