The ATML initiative is driven by a desire to standardize the XML format for use by various proprietary tools used within the automatic test industry. This will benefit automatic (computer controlled) test equipment manufacturers, maintainers, and test system users in a broad range of industries including aerospace and government/military. By using a common format, different tools and systems can exchange information and form co-operative heterogeneous systems resulting in: Decreased test times, Reduced incidents of Can Not Duplicate or No Fault Found, Reduced Repair Cycle, Formalized capture of historic data, and improved Closed loop diagnostic systems.

ATML defines a standard exchange medium for sharing information between components of automatic test systems. This information includes test data, resource data, diagnostic data, and historic data. The exchange medium is defined using the extensible markup language (XML).