The Open Gaming Alliance (OGA) and the Immersive Technology Alliance (ITA) announced that they have merged to form the International Future Computing Association (TIFCA). The OGA and ITA’s new joint effort brings the membership of each alliance under one umbrella with the intent of fostering partnerships that can drive innovation in hardware development, immersive computing technologies, and software creation, and to turn those partnerships into profitable ventures.
“When groups of visionary companies and innovators get together like this, bright technological futures become impending realities. It’s an honor to help build these realities,” said Neil Schneider, Executive Director of TIFCA.
Three Pillars
TIFCA is comprised of three different groups with separate leadership teams that will work together hand in hand to uncover future innovations and drive their adoption. Frank Soqui, Vice-President and General Manager of Virtual Reality at Intel, is the new Chair of the Computing Technology Group (CTG), which will facilitate innovation in computing technology and peripheral design.
“The evolution of computing and its role in technology innovation requires a strong ecosystem and a vision for the future,” said Soqui. “Intel has been instrumental in driving nearly 50 years of computing innovation, and we look forward to collaborating with TIFCA and our partners to define what’s next.”
Daryl Sartain, Director and Worldwide Head of VR, AI/ML, Displays, TV & Music Ecosystems at AMD, formerly the Chair of the ITA VR Council, is now the Chair of the ITA, which brings together hardware makers, content creators, toolset designers, and academics to assess the viability of immersive technologies and promotes adoption of viable innovations.
“AMD has been a member of TIFCA’s base for three years. We support them because they give us the data we need to make informed decisions and everything they do is focused on improving the bottom line of their membership,” said Daryl Sartain, Director of VR for AMD and Chair of the Immersive Technology Alliance within TIFCA.
Wanda Meloni, CEO of M2 Insights, was named Chair of the Alliance of Content Creators (ACC), which brings together software developers, film creators, and educators.
“The Open Gaming Alliance has worked with the Immersive Technology Alliance for many years. Having the OGA and ITA join forces to create this new trade organization is extremely exciting given the market opportunities for inspired future computing applications and professionals. It is the natural progression, and the potential has been clear to us for some time, with this bringing it all now full circle," said Wanda Meloni, CEO of M2 Insights and Chair of the Alliance of Content Creators.
As part of the merger, current members of the ITA and OGA have transitioned to TIFCA. New members and future renewals will have the choice between multiple tiers of membership to suit their needs.
TIFCA's leadership isn’t wasting time getting the ball rolling: The first official TIFCA membership meeting is set for April. You can find more information about membership and news about the organization on its website.
