Microchip Technology has announced a new collaboration with Nippon Chemi-Con and NetVision to support the growing adoption of ASA-ML, an open and scalable automotive connectivity standard for camera systems. The partnership will provide Japanese automotive OEMs with a complete development ecosystem to accelerate the shift towards ASA-ML-based camera modules, a step that could ease the current industry dependence on proprietary systems and limited-sourcing supply chains.
The system integrates Microchip’s VS775S serializer and deserializer chipsets with Nippon Chemi-Con’s CDTrans camera module and NetVision’s NV061 emulation platform. Together, these components form a practical toolset for developing and validating camera-based ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) with ASA-ML compatibility. The effort is designed to address the increasing demand for high-speed, secure, and scalable data transfer between in-vehicle cameras and electronic control units, especially in vehicles with Level 2 and Level 2+ autonomy features.
With over 150 member companies globally the Automotive SerDes Alliance (ASA) is advocating the ASA-ML standard as a unified framework for camera connectivity. For Japanese OEMs, the challenge has been in the lack of compatible tools and development support to transition away from closed architectures. By creating a ready-to-use camera module and testing platform based on the ASA-ML standard, this partnership addresses a known barrier to standardisation and interoperability.
Kevin So, Vice President, Microchip, stated the initiative represents a strategic step in delivering practical ASA-ML tools to Japanese carmakers. By offering native support for asymmetric data rates and integrated link-layer security, the VS775S component meets both performance needs and emerging cybersecurity regulations. These features are crucial in future vehicle architectures where real-time video data must be handled securely and with minimal latency.
Nippon Chemi-Con has confirmed that its CDTrans module integrates directly with the VS775S, and it is positioned to offer future-proof modularity for OEMs looking to avoid vendor lock-in. Paired with NetVision’s evaluation board, the platform enables developers to test and emulate camera behaviour within complex ADAS setups. The testing tools can help validate signal integrity, bandwidth, and reliability in early-stage development, potentially reducing time-to-market and simplifying certification procedures.
The move reflects a broader industry concern around supply chain resilience, especially in a market segment where the number of cameras and sensors in each vehicle continues to rise. ASA-ML’s open architecture allows for more flexible sourcing and eases integration between components from different suppliers, which is becoming essential as OEMs push to meet tighter production timelines and changing safety regulations.
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