RapidIO Connections - January 2003
President's Message
The RapidIO Trade Association made some important announcements on January 20, 2003. While some products based on RapidIO were introduced in 2002. 2003 will be the year when RapidIO really breaks out. Our announcements in January are just the beginning. The announcements, made at the annual Bus and Board conference in Long Beach, demonstrate how the RapidIO Trade Association has partnered with other standards bodies to create complete system solutions in the marketplace.
We announced the acceptance of the RapidIO Interconnect Specification by ECMA International as ECMA Standard 342. This is an important step for us. ECMA is an important international standards organization, on equal footing with ANSI before the Organization for International Standardization (ISO). ECMA will be taking this new joint RapidIO/ECMA specification to the ISO using a newly created fast track process. We fully expect that the RapidIO Interconnect Specification will be approved as an ISO certified International Standard before the end of 2003. As our world continues to shrink and trade becomes truly global, true, recognized standards becomes more important. Vendors of RapidIO products will obtain enhanced worldwide business opportunities for their products as a result of this standards work.
The RapidIO Trade Association also announced the commencement of mechanical standards work for RapidIO with the VME Industry Trade Association (VITA) and the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG). VITA has responsibility for VME bus board and chassis mechanical standards. Products based on the VME bus still represents an over $600 million a year business. This business, mostly targeted at industrial and military applications is a natural fit for RapidIO. The RapidIO Trade Association announced the transfer of documents specifying an extended CMC/PMC mezzanine card that also supports RapidIO. This RapidIO Mezzanine Card (RMC) allows RapidIO to be easily integrated in to existing VME bus products. We expect announcements of products and product roadmaps making use of the RMC work from RapidIO Trade Association member companies in the near future. Separate from the RMC work, VITA is also developing specifications for switched serial link extensions to VME. This so-called VXS (VME Switched Serial) effort has as a primary target Serial RapidIO links.
The RapidIO Trade Association also announced the formation of a PICMG subcommittee to complete the development of a specification for Serial RapidIO running in the existing PICMG 2 chassis and the intent of RapidIO member companies to fully participate in the completion of link specifications for RapidIO in the PICMG 3 chassis (also known as AdvancedTCA™.)
In other news, we recently turned on an enhanced vendor section on the RapidIO website. This section provides more detailed information on RapidIO based products for customers interested in finding out what sorts of RapidIO products are being developed. I invite you to come take a look at www.rapidio.org/kshowcase/view/. Many products are here and many more are coming, expect to see product announcements throughout the year.
If you are not a part of the RapidIO community, I invite you to join with us as we continue to make RapidIO Real in 2003!
Best regards,
Sam Fuller
President, RapidIO Trade Association
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