eUSB2V2 Interoperability in Practice: Validating High Bandwidth Embedded USB with FPGA Based Prototyping

As integrated AI cameras become standard in laptops and all‑in‑one systems, traditional USB 2.0 and legacy embedded interfaces are increasingly unable to keep pace. Higher‑resolution sensors, multi‑camera configurations, and AI‑driven features such as real‑time tracking, electronic pan‑tilt‑zoom, and advanced image processing place growing demands on bandwidth—without tolerating increases in power, cost, or system complexity.

The eUSB2V2 (Embedded USB 2 Version 2) specification was introduced to address these constraints by extending embedded USB data rates up to 4.8 Gbps while operating at low voltages compatible with advanced process nodes. This enables high‑bandwidth embedded connectivity between the camera module and SoC, allowing image signal processing and AI workloads to be handled centrally in the SoC. As a result, designers can simplify camera modules, reduce cabling and BOM cost, and deliver more consistent, high‑quality imaging across AI‑enabled platforms.

Implementing these capabilities in real systems, however, requires careful alignment with existing camera architectures and robust interoperability between host and device implementations. Integrated laptop cameras have traditionally relied on a USB 2.0 connection routed from the display to the SoC, using a bridge device to interface MIPI CSI sensors, perform local image processing, and transmit video using the USB Video Class (UVC) standard. While this architecture has been sufficient for earlier generations, emerging AI‑camera requirements—higher resolution, improved image quality, and wide‑angle sensors with AI‑assisted PTZ—expose its limitations and drive the need for a higher‑bandwidth, lower‑cost embedded alternative.

This article describes how Synopsys eUSB2V2 IP, validated using Synopsys HAPS prototyping platforms, enables early interoperability testing and helps ensure successful deployment of next‑generation integrated AI cameras in future laptops.

Synopsys is one of the many contributors to the eUSB2V2 specification. We started early development of the eUSB2V2 Host and Device IP controllers and publicly demonstrated Host and Device interoperability in March 2025. This early start, combined with continuous development and interoperability testing, allowed us to contribute our results to the workgroup to enhance and validate the eUSB2V2 specification before publication.

eUSB2V2 controllers are far more complex than eUSB2 or USB 2.0 controllers. One reason is the higher throughput; another reason is the addition of multiple new protocol enhancements to optimize throughput for AI-camera use-case.

However, the main challenge and added complexity comes from the number of speed combinations that must be supported. Symmetric mode supports speeds from HS2 (2 x 480 Mbps = 960 Mbps) to HS10 (4.8 Gbps). TX and RX bandwidth is shared, as in USB 2.0 or eUSB2. Asymmetric mode supports HS1 (480 Mbps) in one direction, and from HS2 to HS10 in the other direction.

The AI-camera use-case will use Asymmetric mode with up to HS10 from camera module to SoC for data from sensors, and HS1 from SoC to camera module for control, configuration, and status. Asymmetric-only mode support enables a simpler controller and PHY for the bridge chip in the AI-camera module.

We used the Synopsys HAPS prototyping system to validate interoperability between our host and device controller designs across all speed combinations. Early prototypes used a PHY-less connection, with patent-pending PHY emulation that allows all PHY-related functionality and latency to be emulated. We have recently concluded PHY-less interop between the Synopsys eUSB2V2 Device controller IP and multiple Tier-1 SoC vendors’ FPGA Host controller implementations. Next, we will advance interoperability testing to system‑level validation using our FPGA Device platform with a Synopsys eUSB2V2 PHY board and SoC vendors’ prototype SoCs. Proven results from earlier PHY‑less interoperability testing demonstrate a strong foundation and position eUSB2V2 for smooth ecosystem adoption.

One important interop test was the validation of isochronous bursts. This new feature in eUSB2V2 enables up to 3kBytes in up to three isochronous packets to be transmitted for each IN token. This improves throughput by reducing the time spent waiting for bus turnaround between IN Token from Host and data from Device. A USB Analyzer trace of a (non-binary) 29,000-byte transfer is shown in Figure 3. The 29,000-byte transfer can be expressed as (9 × (3 × 1024)) + (1024 + 328), and thus consists of 10 isochronous bursts: nine bursts each with 3kBytes and one burst of 1,352 bytes.

As eUSB2V2 moves from specification to deployment, interoperability becomes the defining factor for successful adoption—especially in bandwidth‑intensive, system‑level use cases such as integrated AI cameras. The complexity introduced by higher data rates, asymmetric speed modes, and new protocol enhancements requires proven, production‑ready IP that has been validated across real implementations, not just simulated environments.

Synopsys addresses this challenge with a comprehensive eUSB2V2 IP portfolio, including verification IP, host and device controllers, and PHY solutions, all validated through extensive FPGA‑based interoperability testing using the Synopsys HAPS prototyping platforms. By combining mature IP with early, system‑level validation across multiple speed modes and vendor environments, Synopsys enables designers to reduce integration risk, accelerate development, and confidently deploy eUSB2V2‑based systems.

Together, Synopsys eUSB2V2 IP and HAPS prototyping provide a scalable path from early architecture exploration to ecosystem‑ready interoperability—helping customers bring next‑generation AI‑enabled platforms to market faster and with greater confidence.