The NFC Forum has published a new specification that sets out a standard interface between a device’s CPU and its NFC chip. The NFC Controller Interface specification has been developed from the ground up and is designed to replace a range of proprietary approaches in use today.

“The availability of the NCI specification is significant because it makes it easier for device manufacturers to integrate chipsets from different chip manufacturers, and it defines a common level of functionality and interoperability among the components within an NFC-enabled device,” says the NFC Forum.

“Before the development of the NCI specification, device manufacturers had to create their own device-specific interface controllers to manage interactions between the device’s CPU and the NFC chip,” the association explains. “With the availability of the NCI, manufacturers will have access to a standard interface they can use for whatever kind of NFC-enabled device they build — including mobile phones, PCs, tablets, printers, consumer electronics, and appliances. This will enable manufacturers to bring new NFC-enabled devices to market faster.”

“With the publication of the NCI specification, device manufacturers will be able to integrate NFC controllers into their products quickly and simply,” says Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. “This will ease chip sourcing and shorten time to market for new NFC-enabled devices of all kinds.”

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