HDMI and DisplayPort standards could soon become a thing of the past with the arrival of the new GPMI (General Purpose Multimedia Interface) format. This Chinese response to the aforementioned standards promises impressive performance, notably with its bandwidth of 192Gbps, support for 8K resolution and power delivery of up to 480W.
What is GPMI?
For decades, audiovisual connectivity standards such as HDMI and DisplayPort have determined the way our televisions, computer screens, games consoles and Blu-ray players work. They have become essential for the transmission of digital audio-video streams, with regular evolutions to respond to ever-increasing bandwidth demands. But a new standard developed in China is set to shake things up.
GPMI, for General Purpose Multimedia Interface, is the result of several years of research and development carried out by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), supported by major players in China’s consumer electronics and IT industries, such as Lenovo, TCL, BOE, Xiaomi and Huawei. The project was officially launched in 2021, with the first public demonstration taking place in March 2024 at the China Information Technology Expo (CITE) in Shenzhen.
This standard is part of China’s broader strategy to reduce its technological dependence on the West and to develop its own standards in key domains, notably connectors, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and 5G. As a reminder, HDMI is controlled by a consortium of mostly American and Japanese companies, with licensing fees for manufacturers. DisplayPort is managed by VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association), another organization that is dominated by North American players.
What are GPMI’s technical specifications?
GPMI’s specifications are particularly impressive.
- Data transmission rate: up to 192Gbps, four times higher than HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) and twice as high as DisplayPort 2.1 (80Gbps).
- Max. resolution: up to 8K at 120Hz, with support for dynamic HDR.
- Power delivery: up to 480W delivered via the cable, the equivalent of a small gaming PC powered directly without a mains adapter.
- Connector type: a proprietary 24+4 pin port, more compact than standard HDMI, and designed to ensure both robustness and heat dissipation.
- Wide compatibility: transmission of multichannel audio streams, control signals, screen calibration data, and network data via multiplexing.
In practice, this means that a single GPMI cable can replace three existing cables: video, power and data (USB or Ethernet).
A step towards creating a universal cable?
This approach is similar to that of USB-C, which seeks to unify everything via a single connector. But where USB-C is limited to 240W (USB-PD 3.1) and 80Gbps (Thunderbolt 5), GPMI takes things to another level. It is intended for professional monitors, 8K televisions and desktop computers, but also AI servers, workstations, AR/VR headsets and smart vehicles.
Another advantage: its ability to transmit enough energy to directly power screens and TVs, without having to use a separate power cable. This should streamline installations, declutter offices, and simplify gaming and home office setups.
Standardization in progress
The GPMI standard is currently being promoted by a Chinese industrial group, which is looking for recognition from larger standardization organizations, such as IEEE and UTI. Ultimately, China hopes that GPMI will become the new global standard for multimedia interfaces, in the same way as USB and Ethernet.
Initially, this standard is expected to be adopted primarily in China, where several major hardware manufacturers (Lenovo, TCL, BOE, Xiaomi…) have already announced that they will release compatible products from the end of 2025.
And outside China?
This is where things get tricky. Manufacturers in other parts of the world may be reluctant to adopt a standard that is completely controlled by China, particularly given the current geopolitical climate and the breakdown of supply chains. Furthermore, the GPMI consortium will need to ensure open management of the format, without excessive royalties, and will have to provide reliable drivers, controllers and development tools. Consumers will also need to be convinced: compatibility with older devices, the availability of HDMI or DisplayPort adapters, interoperability, future-proofing… Issues similar to those encountered by USB-C and Thunderbolt in the past.
A serious threat to HDMI and DisplayPort?
For now, HDMI dominates the market by a wide margin: almost 10 billion devices currently in circulation use this standard. Meanwhile, DisplayPort is very much present in the professional and IT sectors, notably via miniDP and USB-C.
However, these standards suffer from technical limitations, take a long time to be updated (HDMI 2.1 dates back to 2017!) and lack consistency between versions, which can be very confusing for consumers. GPMI could therefore appeal with its simplicity (a single standard), its power (192Gbps, 480W) and its goal to become a universal standard.
