WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- PICMG(R) announces the release of its latest specification for high speed interconnects over AdvancedTCA(R) (ATCA) backplanes -- PICMG 3.5 RapidIO(R) for ATCA. PICMG 3.5 was recently approved by the PICMG membership and is now available.

The PICMG 3.0 specification defines the detailed characteristics of AdvancedTCA cards, chassis, and backplanes as well as the protocol for the base interconnect between cards (Ethernet) but leaves the protocols on the extended fabric to other specifications. An add-in card must notify the system manager which fabric it supports before interconnects are enabled onto the backplane. Serial RapidIO is the latest fabric to be mapped onto AdvancedTCA.

"Extending RapidIO technology to an even broader range of data plane applications, while carrying forward its best-in-class control plane features, creates a very compelling, unified open interconnect architecture," says Dave Wickliff, from Lucent Technologies, chair of the PICMG 3.5 subcommittee, and chair of the RapidIO Trade Association Steering Committee. "Leveraging RapidIO standards onto AdvancedTCA via PICMG 3.5 will extend this open interconnect into the important box-level telecommunications platform. RapidIO technology provides an interconnect architecture that can homogenously span a complete platform: backplane, boards, mezzanines, and devices."

PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG)

RapidIO Trade Association (RIO)