Hewlett Packard (www.hp.com) researchers have created RFID asset tracking technology for data centers, which has been successfully tested at Meijer, a retailer with more than 170 grocery and specialty stores in the midwestern United States. The technology uses RFID readers and tags to monitor the location of individual components within the data center, including the addition of new devices and device movement to other areas.

Melexis Microelectronic Integrated Systems (www.melexis.com) and Atmel (www.atmel.com) are collaborating on solutions for 13.56 MHz RFID readers and near-field communication (NFC) devices. They will target passport and ID verification, contactless payment, transaction, and peer-to-peer information exchange. One of the first collaborations is a passport reader and NFC application based on a two-chip solution incorporating the Atmel AT90USB AVR microcontroller and the Melexis MLX90131 RFID/NFC transceiver.

RSI ID Technologies (www.rsiidtech.com) has secured a licensing agreement with Symbol Technologies (www.symbol.com) to manufacture Symbol's RFID tag antenna design portfolio. Symbol's high-performance RFID tag antennas are designed for applications that require superior read, accuracy and reliability when tracking inventory movement through the supply chain. The licensing agreement with Symbol expands RSI's inlay selection, which is currently the largest in the market.

The METRO Group (www.metrogroup.de) has launched the Advanced Logistics Asia (ALA) project with Savi Networks (www.savinetworks.com) to monitor — in real-time — the location and security of inventory shipped from Asia to Europe. The ALA project, managed by METRO Group Buying Hong Kong (MGB Hong Kong), will use SaviTrak, a web-based, real-time information service that leverages automatic data transmissions from electronic product code (EPC)-compliant passive and active RFID tags, among other wireless devices, on shipments transported throughout the global supply chain.

UPM Raflatac (www.upmraflatac.com) is taking part in METRO Group's (www.metrogroup.de) Advanced Logistics Asia, the largest retail RFID pilot project in China, which will see products tracked along the supply chain from China to Germany. For its contribution, UPM Raflatac will provide its EPC Gen2 UHF tags known as the Rafsec G2 ShortDipole RFID. These inlays, converted into 4-inch by 6-inch labels by RFID Systems and Supplies Limited (RSS), will be tested at package level using different product categories.

Savi Technology (www.savi.com) has received official approval from the China State Radio Regulation Committee (SRRC) to use its family of active RFID products throughout the country. Savi Technology's tags and readers approved by SRRC, a division of the China Ministry of Information Industry, are compatible with the ISO 18000-7 (International Standardization Organization) standard for active RFID products operating at the 433.92 MHz radio frequency band.

Alien Technology (www.alientechnology.com) has collaborated with Oracle (www.oracle.com) and Intel (www.intel.com) on the development of an integrated, end-to-end RFID business solution for the transportation, automotive and aerospace industries. Architected for rapid, low-risk deployment and fast time-to-value, the pre-configured solution is available at the RFID Solutions Center Dayton for customer evaluation and proof-of-concept.

Sirit (www.sirit.com) has announced that EPCglobal has awarded its compliance mark for dense reader mode (DRM) to the Infinity 510 UHF RFID reader. The certification mark signifies that Sirit's hardware has been tested and operates according to EPCglobal Inc. standards, such as the UHF Generation 2 version 1.09 standard ratified in December 2004. The DRM of operation is a specialized implementation of the Gen 2 standard that dramatically reduces interference between readers when many are used in close proximity to one another.

NEC (www.nec.com) is deploying the Impinj (www.impinj.com) Speedway reader in a pioneering RFID system that significantly increases RFID tag throughput in demanding manufacturing and inventory control applications. NEC's RFID gate system combines NEC's proprietary radio wave reflection technology with Impinj's high-performance RFID readers. The gate system, which interrogates multiple RFID tags simultaneously to produce accurate supply chain data, targets various RFID-enabled supply chain management applications such as inspection systems in manufacturing lines and inventory control systems.

A new technology from IBM (www.ibm.com) gives clients the ability to securely share and analyze accurate and real-time data generated by sensors like RFID tags. Consequently, consumer and business applications are being enabled for the first time. The technology, WebSphere RFID information center, is based on the EPCglobal standard called EPCIS. This standard provides a way to securely communicate the data created by sensors and RFID tags, and tie it to business information and trading partners.