GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, of Charlottesville, Va., is adding a deterministic Ethernet technology to its avionics applications. GE Fanuc will be using Time-Triggered Ethernet (TTEthernet), developed by TTTech Computertechnik AG of Vienna, Austria. GE said products based on TTEthernet, which is designed to allow for DO-178 and DO-254 certification, are used to connect systems on safety critical platforms. Their determinism – the ability to guarantee that an information packet is sent/received in a finite amount of time – helps to prevent unintended behavior or interruption in complex systems, according to the companies. “Ethernet is the most pervasive communications technology in computing today with its high bandwidth, simplicity and low cost,” said Ben Daniel, avionics product manager at GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms. “However, it does not natively feature determinism – a characteristic that is absolutely required for safety-critical applications such as civilian aircraft. TTEthernet addresses this need, and provides an exciting, open standards-based alternative to aging legacy technologies such as Mil-Std-1553 and ARINC 429.” GE Fanuc said it will be announcing a suite of Time Triggered Ethernet products in the third quarter of 2009 and are currently working with key customers, who are already adopting this technology for new projects.