Pacific Microelectronics Centre Sierra Inc has announced the addition of US companies Fore Systems Inc, Cisco Systems Inc and Force Computers Inc and Basildon-based Netcomm Ltd to its Saturn Asynchronous Transfer Mode chip development group. Saturn, which is shorthand for The Synchronous Optical Network-ATM User Network was announced at Supercomm ’92, last June. Its work is allied to that of the ATM Forum whose voice, video and data specifications it is seeking to implement in its products. Along with the new recruits, the group comprises PMC-Sierra Inc, Sun Microsystems Inc, Interphase Corp, Optical Data Systems Inc, Ungermann Bass Inc, Bell Northern Research Ltd, BBN Communications Inc, Themis Computer Systems Inc, Synoptics Communications Inc, Tektronix Inc, Newbridge Networks Ltd, MPR Teltech Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Co, Digital Equipment Corp, Hughes LAN Systems, the University of British Columbia and University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. So far, the group has defined a low cost 155Mbps SONET STS-3 based physical layer interface for carrying Asynchronous Transfer Mode cells in local networks, the Saturn User Network Interface, SUNI-155. Burnaby, Canada-based PMC-Sierra also plans to introduce a 622Mbps interface chip in early 1994. It is currently sharing its component library with Sierra Semiconductor under a deal struck last May. Sierra invested $5m in the privately held company under the agreement.
