New embedded consortium for standardization management

The SGET will hold its inaugural meeting at the beginning of March and will be committed to developing and maintaining worldwide valid embedded computing specifications, in order to propel new embedded technology standardizations meeting the demands of the markets.
With the founding of the SGET, a globally-operating, manufacturer-independent consortium has
been created, which is in position to react to the accelerated speed of technological progress and changing market demands fast and flexible. The founding members of the SGET are confident that, worldwide, more than one hundred ventures are going to join the group within a year - underlining the great need for improvements in market orientation and fast specification implementation. Other companies and institutions which work in the area of embedded computing are invited to join the new Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies. In particular, the SGET welcomes embedded computer manufacturers on board- and system-level, research and educational institutions as well as embedded system integrators, OEM solution providers and industries’ end-users.

The goal of the founding members of the Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies is to create a new, powerful, worldwide committee for embedded computer specifications which will operate at greater speed and with far less bureaucracy than comparable organizations. To achieve this, the SGET has, amongst other things, set out simplified rules and shorter objection periods, so that specifications can be passed much faster, Dirk Finstel, Kontron AG, names as a main reason for the founding of the consortium.

The fast pace of technological progress in the embedded market necessitates cooperation even between competing companies. That, however, can only work, if we follow overall regulations. A committee with the ability to act fast enables us to jointly and instantly react to market demands. This is why we very much welcome the founding of the new consortium, Christian Eder, congatec, comments.

Different interests of the manufacturers on the component level slow down standardization work on embedded module standards. This is why we are pleased that the SGET consortium of board and module manufacturers has created rules which offer more scope for innovation and which put the interests of the users first, states Wolfgang Eisenbarth MSC.

From the new Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies we expect some major impulses in the area of SFF processors, as not only in the case of Computer-on-Modules, but also motherboards and SBCs, i.e. 3.5 or IO boards of embedded systems, are in need of standardization. Up to now, a powerful consortium committed to permanently and efficiently taking care of these issues, has been lacking“, states Carsten Rebmann, Advantech.

The new processor technologies for tablet PCs and mobile applications in consumer electronics are also having a major impact on the embedded market. It is therefore crucial that we come together and work on these mutual specifications right from the start, which will be valid on a worldwide basis in the shortest period of time“, Gianluca Venere, SECO, names the most important current field of activity.

Beyond the issue of form factors, we have to consider the standardization of individual interface implementations, for example via IP stacks. This is where I expect the SGET to play a pioneering role. Ultimately, this subject also needs standardization“, Markus Mahl, DATA MODUL, names a further potential field of activity for the new Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies.


First working groups for Computer-on-Modules are in place

The Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies, which is going to be founded as a registered association according to German law, will form the first working groups for the Computer-on-Module specifications Qseven and a dedicated ARM module specification. Under the roof of SGET further groups are welcome to develop specifications.