How VSIA answers the SOC dilemma

System on chip (SOC) opens the way for a multitude of electronics products not economically feasible before. SOC technology holds the key to increasingly complex applications by enabling high performance, embedded processing solutions at a low, single chip cost. Over the past two years (1996-98), the Virtual Socket Interface Alliance (VSIA) development working groups have made great progress in defining the interface challenges, identifying the required functions, and recommending specific data formats and guidelines. As new developments take place in the SOC revolution, VSIA continues to play a critical role in fostering various pilot projects and adoption activities that encourage industry to try out and gradually adopt specifications for interoperable virtual components. These efforts are laying the groundwork to speed the development of emerging standards that will unleash the SOC potential, eventually benefiting the entire industry.