RapidIO Connections - October 2002
Marketing Working Group Update
RapidIO™ Becoming More Real Every Day
RapidIO™ maintains its outstanding reputation as a high-performance, packet switched interconnect technology that delivers the performance and reliability required for high performance embedded systems. Furthering the credibility of our cause, trade association members continue to develop IP, standard products and platforms, and to demonstrate working systems. RapidIO is gaining momentum in the marketplace each passing day.
Recently, at the Communications Design Conference in late September, several RapidIO members demonstrated working silicon and interoperability platforms. One of the "Making RapidIO Real" demonstrations generated and monitored RapidIO transactions across a system using an Altera Stratix™ programmable device, protocol analysis and debug tools on a Tektronix logic analyzer, and a HIP (Hardware Inter-operability Platform) from Tundra Semiconductor. The other demonstration also produced live transactions across a RapidIO link with two distinct RapidIO endpoints implemented on Xilinx Virtex-II™ series Platform FPGAs and protocol analysis tools from Agilent.
Get Trained on RapidIO
Now that the first RapidIO-based products are entering the marketplace, the "muddy" interconnect landscape is gaining much needed clarity. The RapidIO Marketing Working Group (MWG) continues to provide education whenever and wherever possible. We have developed a series of training streaming videos available to the general public on the RapidIO Web site at:
www.rapidio.org/education/video
As an alternative to accessing the training segments on our Web site, you can request them on a CD by sending an email.
We also had a very successful RapidIO Technical Seminar during our annual All-Members General Meeting in San Jose. We are discussing taking this seminar on the road next year with destinations in North America, Europe and Asia. Send us your interest for a location or time so we can to let you know if a RapidIO seminar is coming to a city near you.
Changing of the Chair
Since the creation of the RapidIO Trade Association, Tom Cox, Director of Strategic Marketing at Tundra Semiconductor, has served as the Chair of the Marketing Working Group. After nearly three workaholic years in office, Tom has decided to share the opportunity and the responsibility of this position with the other members in the MWG and has opted to step down. We appreciate Tom for being instrumental in setting the direction of the MWG through his leadership, vision and dedication. His presence will be missed, but he promises to keep his fingers on the pulse of the RapidIO MWG and provide guidance as needed.
How You Can Support the RapidIO Marketing Communications Efforts
Speaking of taking on responsibilities, we'd like to remind you there is ample work - and opportunity -- in the MWG. The Marketing Working Group is the communications arm of the trade association and reports to the RapidIO Steering Committee. Our activities include creation and maintenance of the Web site, branding, press relations, tradeshow exhibits, conference presentations and marketing collateral. To find out how you can participate, contact Kalpesh Gala, MWG Chair, at IBM Microelectronics.
