CompactPCI*: An Open Standard
In 1996 Ziatech Corporation, a small innovative company specializing in applied computing solutions for industrial automation applications, developed a way to combine the performance of the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) standard with a small, rugged computer form factor. Within four years, Ziatech was supplying these CompactPCI* building block solutions to major telecom equipment manufacturers worldwide. In October, 2000, the company was acquired by Intel® Corporation to help fulfill its vision as "the leading supplier of products and services for emerging e-Businesses and converged communications."
Ideal for embedded applications, CompactPCI begins with the 32-/64-bit data path and 132/264 Mbytes-per-second transfer rate of desktop PCI, and tailors these performance characteristics for industrial environments. The improvements include a rugged Eurocard format, an innovative connector design, greater card capacity, improved immunity to electrical noise, and a more precise, open specification.
CompactPCI can serve as a high-speed computing core for applications with modest I/O requirements, or as a performance-enhancing subsystem for an established bus architecture such as STD 32 or VME. |
