RapidIO Connections Newsletter - Spring 2005

Executive Director’s Perspective Serial RapidIO® Springs Ahead With Product Launches
Design It RapidIO® Interconnect Technology in Storage
Insights Most important attributes for a backplane technology
Insights from Eric Mantion, Senior Analyst, In-Stat, and Lee Goldberg, Senior Technical Editor, Networking and Connectivity of AnalogZONE
Member Connection The Need for Optimized Bridging Between PCI™ and Serial RapidIO
by Mike Jadon of Micro Memory™
RTA at Work The Customer Programs Subcommittee Bringing RapidIO Events to Developers Around the World – Next Stop Munich, May 31, 2005
In the Spotlight The RapidIO Trade Association and standard as well as member company news continue to be hot industry topics
Where to Network See RTA at Supercomm 2005, Booth 87021 and at the Freescale Technology Forum
RapidIO Reflections What’s Your Perspective?

In the Spotlight

  • The RapidIO Trade Association and standard continue to be sought after news in the industry. Since January 2005, RTA has held briefings with many of the top tier industry and financial analysts including Crystal Cube Consulting, Gartner Group, IDC, In-Stat, The 451 Group, The Linley Group, Genuity Capital Markets, and Wellington West Capital Markets. Watch for their reports on the continued pervasiveness of RapidIO technology.

  • Member companies made numerous announcements in early 2005. Check out our ecosystem news:

    • IDT™ (Integrated Device Technology, Inc.) announced it is developing a family of switching devices optimized for board-level applications, designed to switch, buffer and accelerate the processing of data among DSP clusters in applications such as wireless base stations and media gateways. The devices, which are expected to begin general sampling in early 2006, will offer tailored functionality that enhances the effectiveness of DSP clusters, delivering a highly flexible solution with support for an unprecedented number of ports across a range of selectable operating speeds. The forthcoming devices will utilize Serial RapidIO to interface with devices, such as DSP and embedded processors, which integrate that standard. http://www.idt.com/?id=309

    • Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. announced the availability of its serial RapidIO-based silicon IP (intellectual property) core. In addition, Mercury announced the Ensemble2™ system, the first high-speed serial RapidIO-based AdvancedTCA® platform for the telecom infrastructure industry.
      http://www.mc.com/news/news_detail.cfm?press_id=674992 and

      http://www.mc.com/news/news_detail.cfm?press_id=674991

    • Praesum Communications, Inc. announced the availability of a new RapidIO IO Logical Layer Initiator Intellectual Property (IP) core. http://www.praesum.com/pr021405.html

    • QNX Software Systems and Fabric Embedded Tools Corporation announced that the RapidFET™ diagnostic tool is now available for networking and communications systems based on RapidIO technology and the QNX Neutrino RTOS. http://www.fetcorp.com/qnx_rapidfet_press_release_feb05.pdf

    • Texas Instruments Incorporated announced the TMS320TCI6482, the industry’s first DSP developed using serial RapidIO technology. The next-generation programmable DSP operates at 1GHz and is capable of handling multiple 3G air interface standards and a range of base station form factors on a single chip.
      http://focus.ti.com/docs/pr/pressrelease.jhtml?prelId=sc05045&prSection=overview

    • Tundra Semiconductor Corporation announced the availability of the Tundra Tsi568ATM the industry’s first serial RapidIO switch.
      http://www.tundra.com/NewsRoom/PressReleases/2005/pr_02_11_05.cfm

  • Media interest remains high as well. Following are just a few of the places where RTA is making headlines in 2005:
    • AdvancedTCA Systems
    • AnalogZONE
    • CompactPCI Systems
    • COTS Journal
    • DSP-FPGA.com
    • ECN
    • EE Product News
    • EE Times
    • Eg3
    • Electronicstalk
    • Electronic Design
    • Embedded Computing Design
    • Embedded Star
    • Light Reading
    • Linley Wire
    • MILCOTS Digest
    • Military & Aerospace Electronics
    • Military Embedded Systems
    • PC/104 Embedded Solutions
    • PXI Technology Review
    • RTC Magazine
    • VMEbus Systems

  • Highly regarded as a body of industry experts, RTA is sought after as contributors to the industry’s leading trade journals. Since January, here is a sampling of what RTA has put pen to paper for: