PICMG's (www.picmg.org) Advanced TCA (Telecom Computing Architecture) is a massive new specification that targets next-generation carrier-grade equipment. While proprietary hardware dominates this market, the move to standards-based platforms is clear. CompactPCI has made inroads, but its smaller form factor limits its use in high-end systems. Advanced TCA provides more area and power. The base 3.0 specification defines the hardware while additional specifications define interconnects.
| ADVANCED TCA SPECIFICATIONS | |
| 3.0 | Defines overall mechanics, board dimensions, power distribution, power and data connectors, and system management plus 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet connections |
| 3.1 | Ethernet fabric (dual star or mesh) |
| 3.2 | InfiniBand (dual star or mesh) |
| 3.3 | StarFabric (dual star or mesh) |
| 3.4 | PCI Express Advanced Switching (dual star or mesh) |