RapidIOŽ Connections - Q2 2007
Association News
The RapidIO Trade Association: Delivering the
Information Designers Need to Make
Informed Choices
By Tom Cox, Executive Director, RapidIO Trade Association
Design-level interest RapidIO technology continues to gain attention among a wide
range of engineers and managers developing diverse applications in the embedded
computing and communications industry. Demand for RapidIO educational courses,
seminars and whitepapers grows in sync with the speed of development and with the
growth of the vast and continually expanding RapidIO eco-system of components and
services.
This thirst for knowledge has progressed from “tell me how RapidIO technology
compares to XXX switch fabric technology” to detailed discussions on advanced
features offered by the RapidIO standard and application-specific questions like,
“I incorporated RapidIO solutions in my test bed system. Do type 9
packets….?”
In response, the RapidIO Trade Association has long maintained www.RapidIO.org as a
central information bank for this hot technology. To complement this wealth of
information Embedded Planet, in partnership with the RapidIO Trade Association, now
offers multi-day, in-depth RapidIO technical training programs. In addition, the
RapidIO Trade Association expanded its sought-after Global Design Summits to drive
information to designers in all four corners of the world. This fall the RapidIO
Trade Association will host a unique multi-country program, which provides an
exceptional opportunity to interact with experts from all aspects of RapidIO embedded
design.
The desire to understand the application of RapidIO technology in systems stems
primarily from the features and capabilities defined in the RapidIO Specification 1.3.
It is extremely clear that the RapidIO standard includes all the features that are in
demand for high performance embedded systems. Combined with its extensive eco-system
of suppliers and components, designing with RapidIO technology has become synonymous
to quick success. Extending the return on investment for designers working with this
definitive standard, the recently completed RapidIO Specification 2.0 paves the way
for the next generation of designs. Among other features, RapidIO Specification 2.0
adds advanced flow control for dataplane applications and an addition Physical layer
which support 5 and 6.25 Gbps.
With the end of the so-called “Bus Wars,” designers, system architects and
their managers now look at the opportunity, market forecasts, and trends for RapidIO
technology and the overall Switch Fabric Market. Forecasting the growth and trends
for the embedded market traditionally has been challenging, primarily because
forecasters, trade journalists and ‘Wall Streeters’ (as Rick Merritt calls
them in his contribution to this issue of RapidIO Connections) emphasized and focused
on the high volume PC and consumer industries. When merged into these categories, the
embedded sector gets lost. The high volume trends of these markets are assumed to be
equal to and translate directly to the embedded space. While sometime true, more
often this is not the case. A newly created market report, Switch Fabrics 2007:
RapidIO® Technology Takes the High Road To Embedded Systems by Crystal Cube
Consulting, for the first time examines the architectural standards that have made it
to where the “rubber meets the road” with embedded switch fabric
architectures and how those architectures are performing in the market.
Ernie Bergstrom, vice president of research and chief analyst of Crystal Cube
Consulting says, “On the embedded computing board front Serial RapidIO is being
used for embedded backplane systems in high-end applications. This puts RapidIO
technology in a very strong position in the market place.”
The white paper provides a five-year forecast on worldwide Serial RapidIO shipment and
revenues, as well as DSP worldwide revenues showing year-end 2006 along with
projections into 2007 through 2011, and includes graphical illustrations of the
forecast projections. Separate sections are devoted to an executive summary; a
technology overview on each switch fabric examined including RapidIO, Ethernet 1GigE
and 10GigE, PCI Express, Advanced Switching, and InfiniBand; the Serial RapidIO
switch fabric five-year forecast, and guidance for telecom equipment manufacturers. A
free download of this paper is now available on the RapidIO website at www.rapidio.org/switchfabrics_whitepaper/.
The RapidIO Trade Association’s mission is to develop and promote RapidIO
technology; we continue to develop this leading edge technology and are committed to
supporting every designer, manager, and system architect in their effort to learn and
apply this technology. The RapidIO Trade Association continues to offer an expanding,
diverse realm of information, which I encourage everyone to take advantage of in their
quest to satisfy their thirst for knowledge. In doing so, I ask you to take us to
task in supporting your use of the RapidIO interconnect and to tell us what more you
need to leverage this important technology in next generation applications.
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