Agilent Technologies Inc. has joined the Unified 10 Gbps Physical-layer Initiative as a contributing member.
Publicly launched in October 2003 by Applied Micro Circuits Corp., IBM, Infineon AG, Texas Instruments and Xilinx Inc., the goal of this group is to advocate a common 10 Gbps physical-layer standard across multiple markets (telecommunications, data communications, computational, etc.) to simplify and accelerate the implementation of next-generation 10 Gbps systems. Adopting the UXPi standard will reduce time to market and development costs of products like high-speed backplanes, routers and switches, and it will enhance opportunities in industry-wide interoperability by providing a common electrical specification that protocols can be built upon.
"Agilent looks forward to working with UXPi to provide technical contributions toward the development of this new electrical specification," says Sigi Gross, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Digital Verification Solutions Division. "We have long supported open industry standards, and work in this group fits nicely with our corporate objectives. UXPi will immediately enhance development of high-speed backplanes operating beyond today's three and four Gbps."
"The testing and compliance methods associated with 10 Gbps standardization are integral to the success of advanced serial standards," says Brian Seemann, chairman of UXPi. "UXPi is very pleased to have Agilent joining the effort, and look forward to their contributions."
The trend toward serial connectivity is being driven by the need to reduce system costs, simplify system design and provide scalability to meet new bandwidth requirements. UXPi members have been strong supporters of the work within the OIF (Optical Internetworking Forum) on the development of the CEI (Common Electrical Interface), which includes 6 Gbps and CEI 11 Gbps high-speed backplane standards. UXPi's vision is to see such development occur in parallel coordination in numerous standards venues. UXPi interfaces will provide a basis for future high-bandwidth connections in chip-to-chip, chip-to-optical module and backplane applications.
Agilent is based in Palo, Alto, CA. For more information visit www.agilent.com.
