As chip bandwidths have exponentially grown, the die areas of those chips have grown to the point where yields have dropped. This has led to a trend of sub-dividing large semiconductor devices and mounting them on Multi-Chip Module (MCM). As a result, the MCM has become the new printed circuit board (PCB).

What is needed is an ecosystem of interoperable components, interconnects, protocols and software to help implementers create value. The USR Alliance was established to provide a standards development organization focused on the needs of this market.

Ultra Short Reach Link – An efficient & low power interconnect within a Multi-Chip Module (MCM) and other low-loss interconnects
- Typically 2.5 cm or shorter
- Ideally can tolerate routing bends in order to reach the corner of the MCM
- Low power and high bandwidth interconnect

Hardware Protocols – digital to digital communication layers, Protocol Convergence Sublayer (PCS), and Forward Error Correction (FEC) blocks
Firmware – device discovery, capability management, configuration, and retraining firmware for example
Software – application suites that leverage the capabilities of the chipset components