PICMG 1.0 SBC Demand Still Growing

However, Eric Gulliksen, Practice Director for VDC's Embedded Hardware group, offers a caveat to North American and European SBC manufacturers. "The PICMG 1.0 architecture finds its primary uses in lower-end applications. These SBCs have become commodities, and low-cost Asian suppliers now dominate the market. Western vendors need to recognize this fact, and concentrate their efforts on higher-end applications and architectures, including VME, CompactPCI and, particularly, embedded Blades."

Despite changing economic and technical paradigms in the embedded computing industry, Single Board Computers compliant with the PICMG 1.0 specification still enjoy solid sales and a steady growth pattern.

In a recently published study entitled Embedded CPU Boards: Single Board Computers, Venture Development Corporation (VDC) found that, out of VME, CompactPCI, PCI, ISA and PICMG 1.0 SBC architectures, only the last shows a consistent, healthy growth pattern over the period 2002-2007. Projections for sales of all other SBC architectures are flat or declining. Shipments of PICMG SBCs are projected to show a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.14% over the period.

Projected Sales of PICMG 1.0 Single Board Computers
(US$ in Millions)

2002: 203.0
2003: 226.9
2004: 247.1
2005: 269.1
2006: 288.5
2007: 314.4

VDC attributes the continued viability of PICMG 1.0 SBCs to several factors:

- These are relatively inexpensive when compared to most other architectures;
- There is a large installed base, providing significant replacement opportunities and reduced resistance to purchase of new sockets;
- These are supported by a wide range of applications software; and
- Both PCI and ISA backplane buses can be accessed fro the same board. The PCI bus provides a speed advantage over ISA for non-real-time events, while the ISA bus makes programmable hardware interrupt request lines available to enhance real-time control.

However, Eric Gulliksen, Practice Director for VDC's Embedded Hardware group, offers a caveat to North American and European SBC manufacturers. "The PICMG 1.0 architecture finds its primary uses in lower-end applications. These SBCs have become commodities, and low-cost Asian suppliers now dominate the market. Western vendors need to recognize this fact, and concentrate their efforts on higher-end applications and architectures, including VME, CompactPCI and, particularly, embedded Blades."

About the Study

The above-mentioned report is a part of a year-long planning service, Year 2002-2003 Planning Service on Computers in Embedded and Real-Time Applications, which has the following deliverable reports:

Volume I: Embedded CPU Boards (SBCs, Motherboards)
Volume II: Next-Generation Platforms (Blades, COMs)
Volume III: Utility and I/O Cards
Volume IV: Mezzanine Cards
Volume V: PC/104, PC/104-Plus Cards
Volume VI: Embedded CPUs and Chipsets
Volume VII: Global Embedded Market Overview and Outlook

Prices for the reports or report sections range from US$ 3,000 to US$ 36,200 for the entire service.

Major emphasis is placed on gathering data directly from decision makers at vendors that make these products, and firms that purchase the products. Extensive interviewing is done with both the vendors and users. In addition, an extensive mail survey is conducted with users whose names are obtained from their having attended related trade shows and by subscribing to appropriate trade journals.

This data is supplemented by secondary research for relevant information in technical and business literature, as well as government, trade association, professional society, corporate and industry reports.

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To view the entire press release including charts go to:
http://www.vdc-corp.com/embedded/press/03/pr03-46.html

Report Availability:
http://www.vdc-corp.com/embedded/annual/02/br02-37.html

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For further information about "Year 2002-2003 Planning Service on Computers in Embedded and Real-Time Applications" or any other VDC service contact:

Eric Gulliksen, Embedded Hardware Practice Director, ericg@vdc-corp.com

Marc Regberg, Vice President, msr@vdc-corp.com

Join the VDC mailing list to receive future updates at: http://www.vdc-corp.com/subscriptions