Three emerging chip-to-chip interconnections: HyperTransport, PCI Express, and RapidIO are being increasingly integrated into semiconductors and systems, and shipments bearing these technologies will grow over the next several years, reports In-Stat research agency.

“Each interconnection is finding applications in which to flourish. RapidIO has found a home interconnecting DSPs, HyperTransport has become the front-side bus and processor-to-processor interface for all AMD processors, and PCI Express is the new standard for board-level peripheral interconnects in all computing applications,” says Chris Kissel, In-Stat analyst.

A recent report by In-Stat found that PCI Express will experience the highest growth of all three interconnects rising from 8.7 million systems in 2004 to 283 million in 2009. Despite shrinking use in consumer applications, In-Stat is forecasting a 28% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the use of HyperTransport fueled by its success in computing and routing applications. While RapidIO is clearly a distant third in I/O wins, it has found a defensible position in telecommunications.

Although each interconnect has roadmaps to higher speeds and bandwidth, each faces challenges overcoming jitter using current circuit board technology.  These challenges may eventually force a transition to optical interfaces, the high-tech research firm said.