PICMG ratifies COM Express mini standard

The 84 x 55mm form factor was initiated by Kontron and until now, these Computer on Modules were commonly referred to as nanoETXexpress. The company believes that bringing the form factor under the COM Express umbrella will better help the portfolio address the needs of SFF designs for mobile and handheld devices. "The adoption of the mini form factor into the COM Express specification represents a major milestone that supports our consistent, standards based product strategy," commented Dirk Finstel, Kontron's cto. "We initiated the nanoETXexpress product launches with the intention of building an official PICMG standard. This world's first 'official' standardisation process for a Computer on Module is now finalised and as a result, customers now have access to the world's one and only global x86 module standard that offers all relevant sizes from SFF up to the highest performance class." In anticipation of this formal adoption, Kontron renamed its ETXexpress, microETXexpress and nanoETXexpress products as COMe 'basic', 'compact', and 'mini' in February 2012.