The Shenzhen 8K UHD Video Industry Cooperation Alliance, an organization of more than 50 Chinese companies, has introduced a new standard for wired media communication — General Purpose Media Interface (GPMI). This standard is designed to support 8K video and reduce the number of cables needed to transfer data and power between devices. There are two types of GPMI cables: Type-B — with probably its own connector, and Type-C, which is compatible with the USB-C standard.
Since 8K has four times more pixels than 4K and 16 times more than 1080p, GPMI is designed to transfer significantly more data than current standards. The required bandwidth is also affected by color depth and refresh rate. The GPMI Type-C connector delivers up to 96Gbps of bandwidth and up to 240W of power — twice the power of USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 (which are limited to 40 Gbps), although the power level is the same as the latest USB-C with EPR (Extended Power Range) support.
At the same time, GPMI Type-B outperforms all other cables. It provides up to 192 Gbps of bandwidth and up to 480 watts of power. While this is still not enough to power an RTX 5090 gaming PC through an 8K monitor, it is more than enough for most gaming laptops with discrete graphics. This will greatly simplify the workplace of users of portable gaming solutions – one cable for power and data transmission will be enough. In addition, the standard supports unified device management (analogous to HDMI-CEC), so one remote control can be used for all devices connected via GPMI.
| Standard | Bandwidth | Energy transfer |
|---|---|---|
| DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 | 80 Gbps | — |
| GPMI Type-B | 192 Gbps | 480 W |
| GPMI Type-C | 96 Gbps | 240 W |
| HDMI 2.1 FRL | 48 Gbps | — |
| HDMI 2.1 TMDS | 18 Gbps | — |
| Thunderbolt 4 | 40 Gbps | 100 W |
| USB4 | 40 Gbps | 240 W |
Currently, the only popular video transmission standards that also support power delivery — are USB-C (Alt DP/Alt HDMI) and Thunderbolt, but they are mostly limited to monitors. Most TVs still use HDMI. If GPMI becomes widespread, it will be possible to build TV and streaming systems with just one cable, which will radically simplify connectivity.
Source: tomshardware