ATCA integrated platform shipments to reach $339.8 million by 2008

Aug. 1, 2007
Shipments of merchant ATCA integrated platforms in 2006 were $104.8 million and forecast to reach $339.8 million by 2008, according to analysts at Venture Development Corp. in Natick, Mass.

Shipments of merchant ATCA integrated platforms in 2006 were $104.8 million and forecast to reach $339.8 million by 2008, according to analysts at Venture Development Corp. in Natick, Mass.

This market growth indicates that suppliers are moving from the evaluation and pilot stages to production, VDC analysts say. Telecommunications integrators are beginning to buy ATCA merchant platforms in larger volumes.

Of the 2006 merchant integrated-platform shipments, 92 percent were 14- or 16-slot platforms as opposed to the 2- and 5-slot platforms that are more typical for evaluation and pilot for ATCA systems. Completed systems are being deployed primarily into core and edge communications and network applications.

Numbers of deployments are growing for merchant AdvancedTCA (ATCA) integrated platforms, configured as full systems, VDC analysts say, yet the deployment of ATCA platforms and market growth have been constrained by three major obstacles over the last three years: different technical interpretations during early development, ATCA’s adherence to standards, and the availability of support components.

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Early build-out and different technical interpretations of the ATCA specification involved key questions surrounding hardware and software interoperability between products from different suppliers that constrained their ability to work together.

Significant progress has been made to resolve these interoperability concerns, VDC analysts say. Organizations such as PICMG, the SA Forum, CP-TA, SCOPE, and the Mountain View Alliance are helping to solve these issues.

Still, these organizations need to do more work, VDC analysts say, by confronting issues of how best to deal with standardized and proprietary platform architectures.

Finally, industry must improve ATCA component technology and supporting subsystem, including processors, switching fabrics, chassis, and operating systems. High prices and early reliability issues in enabling technologies such as Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Multicore processors have delayed ATCA evaluation and adoption, VDC analysts say.

For more information contact VDC online at www.vdc-corp.com.

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