Valens Semiconductor & Sumitomo Electric Collaborate on MIPI A-PHY Technology and Deployments

HOD HASHARON, Israel and OSAKA, Japan, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Valens Semiconductor (NYSE: VLN) and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (TYO: 5802) announced today that they are collaborating in the field of A-PHY technology and deployments. The companies will work together to ensure that Sumitomo Electric's wiring harness systems meet the channel requirements of the A-PHY specification, while Valens will add the Sumitomo Electric cable assembly and matching on-board connectors as an ordering option for its VA70XX customer evaluation kits. The cooperation will streamline the deployment of MIPI A-PHY technology across the automotive industry.

MIPI A-PHY is the first standardized, asymmetric, long-reach Serializer-Deserializer (SerDes) physical layer interface targeted for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems (ADS). It was released by the MIPI Alliance in September 2020. Soon after, in July 2021, the technology was adopted by the renowned IEEE standardization body as one of its own standards. A-PHY's primary mission is to transfer high-speed data between cameras, radars, LiDARs and their related ECUs.

Sumitomo Electric will provide differential/coaxial cables that meet the A-PHY specification, and the two companies will work together to expand the variety of cabling options in the future. Valens will feature Sumitomo Electric cables in a live A-PHY demonstration at CES 2022 (Suite 29-139, Venetian Hotel).

"Deployment of MIPI A-PHY in automotive systems just got even easier with Sumitomo Electric committing to ensuring that their off-the-shelf cables meet the A-PHY channel requirements," said Gideon Kedem, Valens SVP and Head of Automotive. "Sumitomo Electric is a world-class company with more than 30% market share in wire harnesses manufacturing and assembly, so we're thrilled to welcome them into the ranks of the rapidly growing A-PHY ecosystem."

"At Sumitomo Electric, we view A-PHY as the connectivity infrastructure underlying the cars of tomorrow, so it was important for us to make sure our cables meet this standard's channel requirements," said Hiroki Hirai, Sumitomo Electric General Manager of CAS-EV Development Promotion Division. "We are excited to help Valens – the leading provider of A-PHY-compliant chipsets – bring additional flexibility to their evaluation kits and to provide a faster route towards the deployment of A-PHY by OEMs, both in Japan and around the world."

About Valens

Valens (NYSE: VLN) is a leading provider of semiconductor products, pushing the boundaries of connectivity by enabling long-reach, high-speed video and data distribution for the automotive and audio-video industries. Valens' Emmy® award-winning HDBaseT technology is the leading standard in the professional audio-video market with tens of millions of Valens' chipsets integrated into thousands of HDBaseT-enabled products. Valens Automotive is a key enabler of the evolution of autonomous driving, providing chipsets that are on the road in vehicles around the world. The underlying technology has been selected to become the basis for the new standard for automotive connectivity. For more information, visit https://www.valens.com/.

About Sumitomo Electric

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. is a recognized global technology leader with over 280,000 employees working at more than 390 group companies in 40 countries. Building on over 120 years of innovation, today Sumitomo Electric is engaged in diversified business activities that support people's daily lives and industries in five business segments: automotive, infocommunications, electronics, environment & energy, and industrial materials. For more information, visit https://sumitomoelectric.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Valens may, in this communication, make certain statements that are not historical facts and relate to analysis or other information which are based on forecasts or future or results. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future prospects, product development and business strategies.  Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means for identifying such statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there are risks that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. You should understand that a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements, including the risks set forth under "Risk Factors" in our Registration Statement on Form F-4 and our other SEC filings. Valens cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Valens does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Media Contact:

Yoni Dayan
Head of Communications
Valens Semiconductor Ltd.
[email protected]

Justine Rosin
Headline Media
[email protected]
IL:+972 54 885 9141
US:+1 917 724 2176

Valens Investor Contacts:

Daphna Golden
Vice President Investor Relations
Valens Semiconductor Ltd.
[email protected]

Matthew Keating, CFA
Financial Profiles, Inc.
US: +1 310-622-8230
[email protected]

SOURCE Valens Semiconductor