Real-time interconnect forPhysical AI.
When AI leaves the cloud, connectivity at the edge becomes the system bottleneck.
Physical AI, robotics, and software-defined vehicles need high-bandwidth links that move sensor, control, and compute data with low latency and deterministic timing. In the cabin, infotainment and multi-display experiences demand the same scalable backbone.
APXpress is Inova Semiconductors' next-generation high-speed interconnect, engineered for scalable bandwidth, time synchronization, and mixed-criticality platforms. StarIC contributes silicon-validated PHY IP for that backbone; initial bring-up with Inova is complete on GF 22FDX®.
Built for intelligent machines that interact with the physical world.
APXpress is engineered for systems that cannot miss a deadline: deterministic latency, hardware time synchronization, and up to 500 virtual channels on a single backbone. Unlike general-purpose networking, it is built for sensor–compute–actuator signal chains where mixed-criticality workloads, from real-time control and on-device AI to high-bandwidth infotainment, must coexist with predictable timing.
Reference architectures such as the MIPS–Inova–GlobalFoundries robotics control platform demonstrate this approach in production-oriented Physical AI designs. StarIC delivers the silicon-validated PHY that makes those backbones production-ready.
Humanoids, collaborative arms, and multi-axis platforms depend on closed-loop control with deterministic sensor-to-actuator latency. APXpress aggregates vision, proprioception, and motor-drive traffic across flexible network topologies so builders can scale from prototype to production without rewiring the data plane.
Why APX: Hardware time sync and deterministic latency keep multi-axis control loops stable without a separate network per domain.
Edge SoCs for intelligent machines must run mixed-criticality workloads: real-time control loops alongside secure on-device AI. APXpress provides a deterministic backbone that moves sensor, control, and compute data with low latency while reducing the software stack required for inter-domain communication.
Why APX: Mixed-criticality by design: hard real-time actuation and secure on-device AI share one backbone with predictable timing.
Software-defined vehicles and zonal architectures need a scalable data backbone that connects sensors, domain controllers, and central compute with automotive-grade quality. The same APXpress backbone also serves in-vehicle infotainment: high-bandwidth links for multi-display cabins, surround-view and sensor video, and rich real-time content without a separate cabling plant. Built on Inova's APIX® heritage and validated on GlobalFoundries 22FDX®, APXpress supports up to 500 virtual channels with time synchronization for mixed-criticality vehicle platforms.
Why APX: One time-synchronized backbone carries safety-critical zonal data and high-bandwidth infotainment without competing network stacks.
Factory robotics, autonomous guided systems, and smart manufacturing lines generate dense sensor and control traffic at the edge. APXpress delivers the high-reach, low-latency PHY layer StarIC silicon-proves for partners building deterministic links between PLCs, vision systems, and distributed actuators.
Why APX: Deterministic, low-latency links between PLCs, vision, and actuators, built for coordinated machine control rather than best-effort networking.
Where StarIC sits in APXpress.
- Humanoids & robotic arms
- Physical AI edge platforms
- Zonal automotive & SDV
- In-vehicle infotainment
- Industrial automation
- Deterministic data backbone
- Up to 500 virtual channels @ 16 Gbps
- Low latency & time sync
- Sensor–compute–actuator links
- 16 Gbps APX PHY
- 4-tap Tx FIR · CTLE · 12-tap DFE
- 30 dB IL target
- Asymmetric full-duplex
- GlobalFoundries 22FDX®
- Automotive-grade supply chain
- Joint validation with Inova
Reference architectures include the MIPS–Inova–GlobalFoundries Physical AI robotics control platform. StarIC PHY IP is available for partners building within the Inova APXpress ecosystem.
Inova APXpress resources: Whitepaper (PDF) · Product brief (PDF)
SerDes PHY for APXpress.
APXpress physical layer data rate
Deep equalization targeting 30 dB insertion loss
Asymmetric SerDes architecture, silicon proven
Validated with Inova on GlobalFoundries automotive-grade node
Initial silicon validation with Inova Semiconductors
StarIC and Inova achieved initial silicon validation and early lab verification of a jointly developed high-speed interconnect on GlobalFoundries' 22FDX®, a milestone toward production-ready APXpress connectivity.
This validates StarIC's ability to deliver difficult PHY designs for platforms that need high-reach SerDes and AMS in production silicon.
“The initial bring-up of this silicon, achieved through our collaboration with StarIC, marks a significant step forward. It validates our complementary engineering approach and reinforces the momentum of our path to a production-ready solution.”
Roland Neumann, GM/CTO, Inova Semiconductors
“Interconnect is a core platform technology for intelligent systems.”
Imran Ahmed, CEO, StarIC
Build within the APXpress ecosystem
License the APX PHY, explore the broader interconnect portfolio, or talk to our team about ecosystem partnership and platform adoption.