Industry Insights

The Importance of a Trade Association in Driving Standards

By Nick Flaherty, Freelance Technology Writer and Editor in the United Kingdom

It is clear that the primary role of an independent trade association is to develop standards that facilitate the development and deployment of new technologies. In doing so, these independent bodies face a double-edged sword: standards are critical for building a robust, vibrant market where vendors, OEMs, and end-users all benefit, but they can also be a route to delays and customer confusion that can kill a market.

One of the notable and recent examples of the failure of standards is ultra-wideband high-speed wireless links. The IEEE 802.15 standard was been abandoned after two years of infighting over two different technologies. In reality, however, this occurrence opened the door to possibilities for trade associations to pick up the gauntlet and drive the final outcome. In fact, the WiMedia group, backing one particular technology, is now moving ahead since the uncertainty among conflicting standards has been removed. Even when an organized effort is not successful, ultimately, a standard must evolve that is supported by an independent organization.

This example points to the fundamental role a trade body, like the RapidIO Trade Association, must play in establishing, promoting and extending the viability of a standards, in working to ensure interoperability, in addressing issues of interworking, in promoting their use, and in facilitating and encouraging market education from a reasonably neutral standpoint.

But even with an established standard like RapidIO, life can be tough. In the early days of standards-based technology deployment careful focus must be placed on the specification and roadmap to ensure that the standard defined addresses the market need and challenges, today and well into the future. In addition, early on, specifications defined by standards organizations must be supported by tools to address potential interoperability problems and confusion on what devices work with each other to ease decisions for OEMs. The success of the RapidIO standard lies in a solid foundation based on the foresight of the ecosystem members to put aside competing interests and focus on end-user needs. This effort, combined with clearly defined checklists for interoperability, provided a significant leg-up for RapidIO in the market.

Once defined and established, the work doesn’t stop. Standards also can drive commoditization – good for the customer, not so good for vendors. There is, therefore, a strong need to move the industry forward to keep ahead of this trend, while allowing customers to take advantage of backward compatible equipment. Even when defined properly in the first place, standards must keep evolving to stay ahead of commoditization. Trade organizations have a pivotal role in this effort and can rely on input from market leaders in their ecosystems for insight into next generation applications. Associations can bring the industry players together to push the evolution of existing standards faster than any one or two companies trying to do so on their own.

Through the years, the embedded community has seen the value of standards, and is expanding its role in developing them. Now there is an increasing range of specifications available, all of which will fight and live or die in the open market. Along with this lies another challenge, in some cases brought about by the existence of standards bodies: competition for dominance of the next generation of products based on one specific and competing standard or technology. This can present a true challenge for OEMs.

It also raises the question then about where the best place is for the standards to reside, be managed, and to develop. Gone are the days of the great religious battles over one technology or another. Manufacturers are embracing multiple standards in their designs depending on the market requirements. In driving the effort for interworking between multiple standards such as RapidIO, PCI Express or Ethernet, trade associations must leverage their strength to join otherwise potentially competing companies and groups within companies in an effort to create a environment that supports co-existence to better serve OEMs and drive never-before-realized applications.

The need for a well-organized, cohesive trade organization is clear. Defining the infrastructure requires standards, and bodies such as the RapidIO Trade Association have provided and pushed specifications. Interconnect technologies also require interoperability, another element driven by the trade association. Standards must work together in some cases to provide best in class solutions, efforts that are also driven by trade groups. Ultimately, an interconnect technology – whether it is RapidIO, Infiniband, Ethernet or a proprietary technology – stands or falls with its user base and ecosystem. This too, is a key benefit of a formal, well-organized trade association: the strength of its members and their products.

A strong, effective trade organization like the RapidIO Trade Association is essential for the long-term growth and permeation of the technology through the market into leading-edge applications. From technology to testing to the ecosystem, a strong trade association that fully understands both the technology it is promoting and the markets it is addressing, is a fundamental key to success.

For the latest information on the RapidIO standard, visit http://www.RapidIO.org.