Putting the ATCA pieces in place

Didja miss me? I spent the last two weeks meandering through the Panama Canal and dodging swine flu. Suffice it to say that a 1915 engineering project remains a mighty impressive piece of work some 94 years later. But enough of that.

Every time I mention the Advanced Telecommunication Computing Architecture or its smaller cousin, MicroTCA, it seems the die is cast for being shot by both sides – proponents are certain that ATCA already has taken over the world, while VITA and other critics declare it dead on arrival. This post won’t take a position on that, but will mention Actel Corp.’s acquisition last year of Pigeon Point Systems, an early leader in ATCA components.

Actel has indicated where it sees the Pigeon Point product line fitting into its plans, by rolling out the Board Management Reference Starter Kit this week, along with a MicroTCA kit for Carrier Hubs based on the Fusion FPGA.  Note that Actel is allowing Pigeon Point to make independent decisions on control architectures by centering the Module Management Controller architecture for ATCA on the Renesas H8S/2472 controller, which Pigeon Point notes has “substantially more computing resources and integrated peripherals than the controller used in the existing BMR MMC solution.”

But note that the preservation of Pigeon Point autonomy ultimately serves Actel well. By keeping its subsidiary in the forefront of ATCA/MicroTCA design, Actel insures the company will retain its lead in innovation in this market. At the same time, the parent company realizes that next-generation ATCA designs will feature more integration in a smaller footprint, which will necessitate greater FPGA content.

Now, certain wags may suggest that the recession has mortally wounded full-size ATCA, though its presence in several Asia-based OEMs may insure some limited base of success. But Actel also recognizes the success of MicroTCA among military contractors. The company’s Fusion FPGAs are favored among some OEMs in this realm that tend to be design leaders in MicroTCA. So regardless of the ultimate fate of full-sized ATCA among telecom equipment suppliers, Actel could still realize a vertical success with Pigeon Point in the MicroTCA world.