The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) has announced that the Intel Corporation has joined the organisation as its latest member. The strategic partnership is well aligned with both parties’ ongoing efforts to develop and promote the application of TSN in industry.

Founded in 2000, the CLPA is comprised of a network of automation suppliers, system integrators and end-users that work together to help business set up state-of-the-art industrial communication networks for next-level manufacturing. The association’s latest technology to support the current industrial revolution is CC-Link IE TSN, the first open Ethernet to offer TSN capabilities combined with gigabit bandwidth.

By becoming a member of the CLPA, Intel will be working with CLPA members to deliver CC-Link IE TSN certified products that support commercial, off-the-shelf TSN technology by means of Intel’s components. These include the widely adopted Intel Ethernet Controllers I210 and I225, Intel Atom x6427FE, Intel Core i7-1185GRE processors as well as Intel Cyclone V system-on-a-chip (SoC) field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

To consolidate these efforts, the semiconductor manufacturer is offering Edge Controls for Industrial applications. This is a platform that businesses can use to configure and manage different software elements optimised to Intel’s Ethernet platform with TSN functions to easily implement Industry 4.0 use cases. As a CLPA member, Intel is keen to work with the CLPA ecosystem to extend its framework to support CC-Link IE TSN capabilities, ultimately consolidating IT/OT workloads at the Edge.

Intel is also joining the CLPA to help collaborate with the development of the IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN Profile for Industrial Automation, which will define the future of the technology and its implementation in industrial settings. This will be key to identifying advanced TSN use cases that can effectively handle converged information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) data.

Thomas H. Calvert, Intel IoT Edge Capability Ecosystem Manager, comments: “Technology providers responsible for leading industrial automation protocols, including CC-Link IE TSN from the CLPA, are supporting the development of the IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN Profile for Industrial Automation. The aim is to develop a holistic, standard-based and converged approach to deterministic networking. Intel is keen to cooperate with the CLPA to succeed in this goal.”

“In addition, CLPA’s CC-Link IE TSN is an essential Industrial Ethernet solution in the marketplace,” continues Calvert. “As Intel is a major sponsor of open standards and the journey towards Industry 4.0, we think it is important to support this technology and contribute to the development of compatible automation components. We are excited to join the organization and help promote the adoption of CC-Link IE TSN.”

Mariana Alvarado, Marketing Specialist at CLPA, concludes: “We are thrilled to welcome Intel to our network of industry-leading technology specialists. Together, we will develop a TSN solution that can greatly advance industrial automation by supporting ground-breaking digital manufacturing strategies. We look forward to offering conformance testing for Intel-based TSN products, which will help our customers benefit from an ever-expanding portfolio of compatible solutions for the digital transformation of their businesses.”

Intel Corporation