The OPEN Alliance (One-Pair Ether-Net) Special Interest Group (SIG), a non-profit industry alliance established to drive wide scale adoption of Ethernet-based automotive connectivity, announced that membership has grown to more than 140 partnering companies. The OPEN Alliance SIG gained significant momentum in recent months with the addition of some of the world's leading automotive manufacturers including Caterpillar Inc., PSA Peugeot Citroen, Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen Group and Volvo Cars.
"Continued momentum in the OPEN Alliance SIG reflects the vast potential that Ethernet-based communication brings to the automotive industry. Membership traction has exceeded our expectations and we are thrilled to welcome these leading companies from throughout the automotive industry," said Kirsten Matheus, Ethernet Project Manager at BMW and OPEN Alliance SIG Chair. "We have made great progress in a short amount of time. This includes the formation of several technical sub-committees focused on defining the transmission channel, compliance, interoperability and tooling requirements."
Ethernet in automotive, initially used primarily for on-board diagnostics, has rapidly expanded into advanced driver assistance systems and infotainment platforms. Ethernet has been adapted to meet the rigorous requirements of the automotive industry including TS16949 compliance/ISO 9001 certification, in-car EMC performance and AEC-Q100 qualification.
"In-car Ethernet is seen as a very promising way to provide the needed bandwidth for coming new applications within the fields of connectivity, infotainment and safety," said Hans Alminger, Senior Manager Diagnostics & ECU Platform at Volvo Cars. "The results from the OPEN Alliance SIG will provide one important building-block for in-car networking."
The basis of the OPEN Alliance SIG is to establish Broadcom's BroadR-Reach technology as an open standard. The automotive-qualified BroadR-Reach technology delivers high-performance bandwidth of 100Mbps over an unshielded single twisted pair cable. By eliminating the need for expensive, cumbersome shielded cabling, automotive manufacturers can significantly reduce connectivity costs and cabling weight.
Members of the OPEN Alliance SIG obtain access to the OPEN Alliance BroadR-Reach (OABR) specification. For technology implementers, typically semiconductor companies, it is necessary to acquire a license to the BroadR-Reach technology prior to implementation. This is available to OPEN Alliance members under RAND terms via a license from Broadcom.
