The end of HDMI may finally be here thanks to this new tech from China

China’s Shenzhen 8K UHD Video Industry Cooperation Alliance has officially detailed an all-new audiovisual cable interface standard, which it aptly calls General Purpose Media Interface (GPMI). Reportedly, the GPMI standard is being backed by 50 Chinese companies, including big names like Huawei, Skyworth, Hisense, and TCL.

As reported by Chinese outlet HKEPC, GPMI will be available in two physical form factors: one with a propietary connector style (referred to as Type-B), and another that utilizes the open USB Type-C plug style.

Impressively, GPMI in its Type-B form is described as being able to support up to a whopping 192 Gbps of data bandwidth, in addition to 480W of power supply delivery. The Type-C variant can interface at up to 96Gbps and 240W.

To put this into context, the latest HDMI 2.2 standard is capable of a maximum output of 96 Gbps, and DisplayPort 2.1 standard is capable of 80 Gbps. Neither AV standards support power delivery in their base configurations. Thunderbolt 5, meanwhile, is capable of 120 Gbps with up to 240W of power throughput.

HKEPC goes on to say that the Type-C version of GPMI has obtained official USB Association approval, meaning that this new standard should play nice with the broader USB-C hardware ecosystem.

On paper, China’s GPMI looks to be the real deal

GPMI’s quoted bandwidth and power delivery speeds blow other standards out of the water

On paper, the new GPMI audiovisual standard is incredibly impressive. On a specs-vs-specs level, it outclasses other solutions like HDMI, DisplayPort, and even Thunderbolt 5. Theoretically, a single GPMI cable is capable of outputting 8K video signals, audio, power, HDMI-CEC-like universal control data, and networking information — a formidable all-in-one solution if there ever was one.

The GPMI standard being backed by 50 Chinese companies is a big deal, too: establishing hardware standards, open or otherwise, has historically proven to be a real challenge. We’ve seen tons of ‘format wars’ erupt over the years, and they’re always a messy ordeal. Of course, for GPMI to hit critical mass, Western companies will undoubtedly have to put their weight behind the standard as well, which is far from a given.

The bifurcation of GPMI into two different specifications, one based on a priority connector, and another based on USB-C, is also rather notable. It’s unclear whether we’re officially witnessing the upper limits of USB-C as a technology, or if GPMI Type-B is more of a play at disrupting the USB status quo.

In any case, I expect it to take several years before GPMI-touting devices hit store shelves at a mass-market level. It’s unclear just how expensive it’ll be to implement the tech into consumer-grade gadgets, or how willing non-Chinese companies will be to play ball. In the meantime, HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C remain excellent 4K standards with enough headroom for the majority of technological applications.

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