If it’s embedded, it ’s Kontron.
The 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ Processor:
A must have for all high-performance embedded computing appliances
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The 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ Processor: A must have for all high-performance embedded computing appliances
Intel® 3-D processor technology brings a new dimension of processing to the embedded computing space and comes with a great deal of improvements. What are the most important benefi ts for embedded appliances and how can engineers deploy them most effi ciently?
AbstractWith their increased performance levels, lowered TDP, improved high-end embedded graphics performance, optimized security, and broad scalability, the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors provide an attractive solution for a broad array of high performance embedded applications in target markets such as medical, communications, industrial automation, infotainment and military. This whitepaper gives engineers a closer look into the architectural improvements of the new 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors and delivers the answers as to how they can integrate these most effi ciently into their appliances.
Whitepaper
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Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Improved architecture: a tick-plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Enhanced performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Turbo Boost 2.01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Extended AVX and SEE instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Improved interface performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Additional power savings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Enhanced media and graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Secure manageability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The new benchmark comes in different fl avours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
COM Express® basic Computer-on-Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Flex-ATX and Mini-ITX embedded motherboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
AdvancedMC™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3U and 6U CompactPCI® blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3U VPX CPU boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Custom designs and application-ready platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CONTENTS
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Overview
High-performance embedded computing applications, such as image processing in automation and medical applications, embedded cloud computing and digital signal processing in communications, as well as signals intelligence in military and aerospace platforms, all share a common demand in terms of highest possible signal processing performance, throughput and graphics processing. At the same time, this demand is frequently coupled with strict requirements in regards of power effi ciency to deliver a level of performance per watt that fi ts the needs of space-, weight- and power-constrained (SWaP) applications that characterize many embedded deployments. With the development of a new 22-nanometer (nm) 3-D tri-gate transistor technology, Intel® introduced several architectural improvements that lay the groundwork to continuously fulfi l these tough demands for the next years to come.
The 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors, which are the fi rst processors to leverage this new technology, provide up to 20% enhanced computing power and up to 40% increased performance per watt compared to designs based on the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors. Embedded computing platforms that implement the new processors enable OEMs to build applications with increased processing density and I/O bandwidth within tight thermal envelopes. This also meets and exceeds the requirement for improved size, weight and power of embedded designs and enables designers to utilize the power of the latest quad-core Intel® processors for the fi rst time on small form factors such as COM Express®, AdvancedMC™ and 3U VPX.
Additional improvements, such as extended Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) and SSE instructions as well as the support for OpenCL 1.1 provide developers effi cient tools to reduce the development effort and time-to-market for parallel computing applications. Further advancements, such as the integrated Intel® HD Graphics 4000, that now features 30% more execution units than the previous generation and natively supports three independent digital display interfaces, enables sophisticated graphics intensive applications such as infotainment and digital signage with an immersive user experience. All of these architectural improvements are worth taking a closer look into the enhancements and how OEMs in the different verticals can unleash the full potential of this new processor architecture by leveraging standardized and proven platforms to minimize design risks and speed up time-to-market.
Improved architecture: a tick-plus
With the introduction of the 32 nm process in 2009, Intel® maintained its historical doubling of chip functionality every two years by continually reducing transistor
dimensions. But as gate lengths approach sub-32nm dimensions, scaling becomes more challenging to overcome the fundamental physical limitations imposed by traditional semiconductor materials. As the size decreases, planar transistors increasingly suffer from the undesirable off-state leakage current, which increases the idle power required by the device [1]. To solve this issue and keep the pace of technology advancement, yet another innovation was needed to fuel Moore’s Law for the years to come.
In 2012 Intel® has accomplished this with another radical change in its transistor design. For the fi rst time in history, silicon transistors entered the third dimension. With the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors, Intel® is introducing the tri-gate transistor, in which the transistor channel is raised into the 3rd dimension. Adding a third dimension to transistors allows Intel® to increase transistor density to 1.4 billion transistors on a die size of 160mm² and insert more capabilities into every square millimetre of these new processors [2]. The current fl ow is now controlled on three sides of the channel (top, left and right) rather than just from the top, as in conventional, planar transistors. The net result is much better control of the transistor, a maximization of current fl ow for when high performance is required and minimization when it is off to reduce leakage [3].
But the change in transistor design is not the only architectural improvement in the 3rd generation over the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors. Together with the 3-D tri-gate transistor technology Intel® also introduced and a new graphics architecture which offers up to twice the HD media and 3-D graphics performance compared to its predecessor. Further new features are support for low-power DDR3L memory, dynamic overclocking control of both the compute and graphics cores, power-management improvements and security enhancements to guard against escalation of privilege attacks.
This signifi cant redesign is quite unusual in Intel's "tick-tock" chip-release cadence, in which a tick stands for a
Image 1: 3-D Tri-Gate transistors form conducting channels on three sides of a vertical fi n structure to maximize current fl ow on the one hand and reduce leakage current at the other hand. Moreover, Tri-Gate transistors can have multiple of these vertical fi ns connected together to increase total drive strength for higher performance [4].
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process shrink and a tock stands for a new architecture. Changing the chips’ architecture while at the same time shrinking the size of the underlying transistors is an acceleration of Intel’s “tick-tock” model. This is why Intel® refers to the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor as "a tick-plus" – a scaled-down version of the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors, but with its own architectural improvements [2].
Enhanced performance
Due to these improvements and as already mentioned in the overview chapter, the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors now offer up to 20% enhanced computing power and up to 40% increased performance per watt compared to designs based on the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processors. But this is not all: This increase in power effi ciency now also allows applications with tight thermal envelopes to take advantage of the parallel performance of up to four CPU cores and eight threads. This not only enables highly effi cient small form factor applications, such as extremely compact unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but, due to the high level of integration, also allows consolidating multiple computing systems onto one single platform [5]. This results in reduced hardware costs, as one multicore system is less expensive than several single core systems. The decreased system count also results in higher MTBF values of the consolidated installation and helps to save valuable space for SWaP optimized high-performance embedded computing applications. However, it’s important to be aware that standard boards for the consumer market are not designed to meet high MTBF requirements. Modules, boards and systems that are intended to meet a high MTBF should be selected from embedded computer vendors such as Kontron. And together with its hypervisor implementation requirement, a consolidated heterogeneous system also requires software support that ideally derived from a single source in order to accelerate time-to-market and reduce the integration effort for customers.
Turbo Boost 2.01
As for applications that are particularly power-hungry, the new processors also provide the enhanced Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 technology that has been introduced with the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors. Turbo Boost mode increases the clock speeds of both the processor cores and the graphics unit independently. This automatically shifts processor cores and processor graphics resources to accelerate performance, tailoring a workload to give users an immediate performance boost for their applications whenever needed. Depending on the load, the actual speed can be increased by up to 40%. Because the new turbo boost technology can overclock not only single, but also all cores, both older single-thread applications and modern multi-thread applications benefi t from the computing turbo. Furthermore, the Power Manager now has the option of overclocking a core which was switched off for a given time for approximately 10 to 20 seconds immediately after waking up. Right after the core wakes up, the maximum application performance is available to reactivate inactive
Image 2: 22 nm 3-D Tri-Gate transistors provide improved performance at high voltage and an unprecedented performance gain at low voltage [4]
Image 3: With Intel’s Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology cores can be run faster than the indicated speeds under certain circumstances. For example, when running a single threaded application, the CPU can boost the speed of a single core for that task. [9]
TransistorGate Delay(normalized)
OperatingVoltage (V)
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.8
2.0
0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1
22 nmTrigate
32 nmPlanar
18% Faster
37% Faster
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processes at high speed as needed. Thus, the thermal budget is more effi ciently used. Moreover, Intel Turbo Boost 2.01 can now also increase processor performance beyond the specifi ed electrical TDP for a short time, without crossing the thermal limit. For this, Intel utilizes the lag which the cooling solution needs to heat up to the maximal specifi ed case temperature, maximizing the usability of turbo boost.
Extended AVX and SEE instructions
Expanding on the implementation of the double-width Advanced Vector Extensions that were introduced with the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processors, the 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ processors bring two new Float16 format conversion instructions (VCVTPH2PS and VCVTPS2PH) which support the conversion between the 16-bit (compressed) fl oating point memory format and the 32-bit single precision formats (either 256-bit AVX or 128-bit SSE), allowing for a higher dynamic range in the same memory footprint [6]. The new AVX and SSE instruction sets accelerate fl oating-point intensive applications in high-performance embedded computing as well as the digital processing of images, videos and audio data in industrial automation, medical and military applications.
High-performance embedded applications also benefi t from the processor’s support for OpenCL 1.1. OpenCL provides software developers with a uniform programming environment to write effi cient, portable code for high-performance computing servers, reducing the development effort and time-to-market for data-parallel applications on multi-core architectures. These new features make embedded platforms equipped with the 3rd generation of Intel® Core™ processors an ideal solution for applications in which a huge amount of data has to be processed in a limited thermal envelope. The main application areas to benefi t from innovations, such as AVX and improved graphics performance, are situational awareness and applications such as radar, sonar, image processing, video surveillance with recognition and computer-aided diagnostics (CAD).
Improved interface performance
Owing to the support for faster interfaces, further performance improvements have been achieved. The memory controller now supports 1600 MHz to connect to DDR3-1600 memory which meets the high speed system requirements, for example, of telecommunication applications. The same is true for the processors 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes. PCIe 3.0 is the next evolution of the general-purpose PCI Express I/O standard providing a transfer rate of up to 8GT/s (GigaTransfers/second). Thus, the interconnect performance bandwidth is doubled over PCIe 2.0, while preserving compatibility with software and mechanical interfaces. This additional bandwidth will not only be gratefully utilized by
latest high-end graphics cards but also to connect with 10 Gbit/s and 40 Gbit/s Ethernet chips in telecommunications as well as high-speed solid-state drives of which any application can benefi t through faster response times when accessing the hard drive. Additionally high bandwidth VPX and MicroTCA applications with PCIe based intra communication via the backplane benefi t from the doubled transfer rates, enabling high bandwidth on the data plane.
Furthermore, the accompanying Intel® 7-Series chipsets now also directly integrate support for four high-speed USB 3.0 interfaces without the need for additional controller chips as it was the case for the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processors. This allows for fast fi le transfers and device synchronisation and enables the connection of the most modern peripheral components such as full HD video cameras or fast external storage media which facilitates, for example, to build small machine vision systems with commercially available standard components.
Embedded computing vendors will rapidly implement these new features on their latest embedded computing boards and systems. Kontron, for example, offers appropriate hardware platforms at the board or system level and optionally includes fully tested, application-ready hypervisor and OS implementations to consolidate hardware requirements from two systems for the embedded real-time application and GUI into only one heterogeneous system. Providing customers with application-ready, pre-integrated, real-time capable virtualization platforms including operating systems and license management from a single source accelerates the time-to-market and reduces the integration task for customers.
Additional power savings
In addition to the performance gains the 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ processors also bring a couple of power-saving enhancements. These include support for low-voltage DDR3 (DDR3L), options for lower system agent1 operating voltages in ultra-low-power parts, and DDR3 power gating. The latter enables parts of the memory interface to be disabled when in deep C-states. All 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors furthermore feature Power Aware Interrupt Routing (PAIR) to improve Intel's core sleeping technology by making the CPU aware of which of its cores are asleep and which are awake. It can then send interrupt requests from peripherals or a software application to cores that are up and running, rather than waking a core that has been powered down to handle the interrupt.
The system agent was introduced with the 2nd Generation Intel Core processor and refers to the display output, memory controller, DMI and PCI Express interfaces of the processor. The System Agent operates on a separate voltage plane than the rest of the chip.
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Furthermore, some Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) and Extreme Edition (EE) SKUs of the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors also ship with a confi gurable TDP. This new feature allows the processor to dynamically scale across three TDPs: nominal, a lower confi gurable TDP (cTDP down) and an upper confi gurable TDP (cTDP up). For example, the nominal 17W TDP of the Intel® Core™ i7-3517UE processor is fl anked by a low-power 14W cTDP down state, and a 25W cTDP up state. This enables mobile application scenarios, where the same system can run at a much higher frequency when docked (25W) and can behave like an ultraportable when running on battery (14W). In other scenarios, for instance in mobile applications with changing environmental conditions, such as military or industrial vehicles, an embedded system will be able to switch up to the higher TDP under optimal cooling conditions and, if environmental temperatures are critical, lower the TDP to keep the system cool.
Enhanced media and graphics
Besides these architectural enhancements, the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors also deliver a signifi cantly improved integrated graphics unit. The new Intel® HD Graphics 4000 delivers up to two times higher 3-D graphics performance compared to the previous-generation processor [2], bringing richer details at higher resolutions to graphics intensive embedded applications such as digital signage, infotainment, medical imaging or video surveillance. And the built-in visual features such as the Intel® Quick Sync Video 2.0 and Intel® Clear Video HD Technology enable an improved user experience across a wide range of intelligent system designs.
Furthermore the Intel® HD Graphics 4000 now provides up to 16 execution units (instead of 6 or 12 with the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ processors) with DirectX 11 and OpenGL 3.1 (Shader Model 5) support. They are therefore also suitable for general purpose computations via OpenCL 1.1 and DirectCompute 11.0 which are backed by an increased local shared memory, enabling a more effi cient exchange of data between the execution units.
With its support of now three independent displays, the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor graphics also enables multi-screen applications without the need for an additional dedicated graphics controller thus saving costs and valuable space for space constraint SFF applications.
Application areas for installations with three independent displays can be found in many different vertical markets such as gaming, kiosk/POS, infotainment and digital signage or patient monitoring to name just a few. One can imagine that an outdoor digital signage system requires a different system design and hardware integration compared to an aseptic patient monitoring system for deployment in operating theatres or intensive care. Consequently OEMs in these different markets are searching for strong hardware
Image 4: The confi gurable TDP of the ULV and EE editions of the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors allows multiple TDP levels within the same part [6].
TDP Up
Nominal
TDP Down
Higher Performance
Smaller Form Factors
TDP Up
Nominal
TDP Down
Features
Architecture Improvements
Unifi ed Shader Architecture Yes Yes
Execution Units (EUs) 6/16 EUs 6/12 EUs
Dedicated Math box Yes Yes
Media processing Yes Yes
Targeted OS Optimizations Windows 7/Windows 8 Windows 7/Vista/XP
Independent Displays 3 2
3-D Performance Core Frequency Up to 1350 MHz Up to 1350 MHzDircetX Support DX11 DX10.1
Open GL Support Open GL 3.1 Open GL 3.0
Shader Model Support SM 5.0 SM 4.1
Dynamic Frequency Scaling Yes (mobile and DT) Yes (mobile and DT)
Maximum Resolution 2560 x 1600 2560 x 1600
HDMI (V.1.4 with 3-D Support) Yes Yes
Intel® HD Graphics 2000/3000
Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000
Architecture and 3-D feature comparison of the 3rd and the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processor graphics.
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integration partners with vertical market competence. On the other hand they want to implement hardware platforms from the most stable vendors. Thus they often buy the integration from an independent system integrator, although the system integrator itself bought the board from different embedded hardware vendors. However, OEMs are now searching for single sources to improve the entire supply chain and to optimize the effi ciency of new hardware integration. The world leading embedded vendor Kontron has chosen to offer these OEMs not only boards and systems but also the complete range of hardware integration services required for all relevant vertical markets. The company provides its own strong core competence teams for various vertical markets such as medical or aerospace and defense as well as Kontron certifi ed design partners extending the performance for custom design and integration requirements to all specifi c competences required. Thus, OEMs will be able to fi nd all required hardware integration services for their standard or customized hardware platform form a highly stable single source.
Secure manageability
With 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor based designs, developers can furthermore enjoy improved security with new features such as Intel® Secure Key, which helps protect data and assets more securely through encryption and Intel® OS Guard, which helps detect and prevent malware. Intel® Secure Key consists of a digital random number generator that creates truly random numbers to strengthen encryption algorithms. Intel® OS Guard or SMEP (Supervisor Mode Execution Protection) is a new mechanism that provides an additional level of system protection by blocking malicious software attacks from user mode code when the system is running in the highest privilege level [7]. This helps defend against privilege escalation attacks where a hacker tries to remotely take over another person's system.
Intel® Secure Key and Intel® OS Guard join existing platform security features such as Intel® Identity Protection Technology (Intel® IPT) and Intel® Anti-Theft technology (Intel® AT) to help make these platforms some of the most secure in the industry. When paired with the Intel® Series 7 Chipset, new designs with Intel® IPT can make a portion of the screen unreadable to spyware with the “protected transaction display” feature, helping prevent a hacker from obtaining login credentials that could lead to identity theft [2]. Continued support for Intel® vPro™ and Intel® AMT 8.0 technology enables secure data exchange among increasingly connected devices across various industries and allows for problems to be diagnosed, managed, and repaired remotely, which can make many onsite service visits unnecessary [5].
The new processor generation furthermore introduces a software visible random number generation mechanism supported by a high quality entropy source. This capability
is made available to programmers through the new RDRAND instruction. The resultant random number generation capability is designed to comply with existing industry standards in this regard (ANSI X9.82 and NIST SP 800-90) [8]. Some possible usages of the new RDRAND instruction include cryptographic key generation as used in a variety of applications including communication, digital signatures, secure storage, and so on.
These security features are a great enhancement to hardware platforms and are a must in a world where ever more devices are connected. However, application engineers require even greater support because many new designs have a tendency to remain permanently connected and online, and engineers spend increasingly more time on remote / cloud projects. As an example, Kontron is able to provide these applications with wireless connectivity in all fl avors from a single source in order to accelerate time-to-market and reduce the integration task for customers: The Intel® Atom™ processor based Kontron M2M Smart Services Developer Kit for example is 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and 802.15.4 Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) capable facilitating the rapid development of wireless connectivity solutions. 3G Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) is either pre-installed or easily enabled by dropping in a pre-certifi ed PCI Express 3G/4G module for further broadband connectivity fl exibility. For immediate application wireless connectivity, the Kontron M2M Smart Services Developer Kit generates a compelling out-of-box experience, which can be used in multiple ways to generate, aggregate and transmit machine-to-machine data to the cloud. Eval-platform connection to the third generation of Intel® Core™ processor based platforms is easily achieved by Ethernet protocol based communication which is also a feasible method for hypervisor implementations in heterogeneous multi-core systems. Alternative implementations are offered upon request.
The new benchmark comes indifferent fl avours
Owing to its highly attractive feature set, the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors are the ideal candidates to build new sophisticated embedded applications. But at the same time such a leap in innovation puts a lot of pressure to the OEMs to keep pace with the implementation of this new processor technology. For example, OpenCL programming is quite new in the embedded segments and multi-processing and virtualization too needed time before they were incorporated into larger series production for projects. Everything requires a certain amount of time. And the more complex things get, the more challenging each further innovation becomes in terms of development. Every innovation means time has to be invested, learning processes carried out and costs have to be considered. These all have to be kept under control or to a minimum
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so that investment costs for new embedded computing platforms are kept as low as possible while keeping them competitive. To ensure that customers can keep up pace with new innovations as simply, quickly and as cost-effi ciently as possible, embedded hardware manufacturers like Kontron work with a dual strategy: fi rstly, in regards to standardization and, secondly, by offering value-added services for implementing new processor technology. The aim being to ensure that customers have little to no worries about implementing the latest processors.
Kontron has fulfi lled the fi rst part of this strategy by implementing the new processor generation on a broad array of suitable standard form factors with even more boards and systems to follow soon:
COM Express® basicComputer-on-Modules
Flex-ATX and Mini-ITX embeddedmotherboards
Kontron AM4022
Kontron COMe-biP#
Based on the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors, the new Kontron COM Express® basic Computer-on-Modules COMe-biP# are now the most powerful COM Express® modules available. Without exceeding the thermal boundaries of comparable forerunners, they offer an unprecedented level of graphics and processing performance, the support of three independent displays, USB 3.0 and fast PCI-Express Gen 3.0. This makes the new Computer-on-Module an ideal fi t for feature-rich, graphics-oriented applications such as digital signage servers running several displays, gaming systems and high-performance medical appliances. Design engineers of high-end embedded computer systems who have to effi ciently balance out performance, watts and costs, benefi t from Kontron’s highly scalable range of 3rd generation modules which is available in COM Express® pin-out type 6 as well as pin-out type 2.
Built on the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors, the Kontron Flex-ATX and Mini-ITX embedded motherboards KTQ77/Flex and KTQM77/mITX are Kontron’s highest performing ATX-compliant embedded designs with up to 40% increased performance per watt. With their extensive range of interfaces combined with the latest serial I/O performance including PCIe 3.0 and, USB 3.0, the Kontron embedded motherboards simplify the design-in process because they include all required standard interfaces for a broad range of computing-intensive and graphics-intensive applications, such as image processing in industrial automation, medical and military applications as well as digital signage, infotainment and gaming applications. Even multi-screen applications with simultaneous presentation on three independent displays are enabled with Kontron’s latest embedded motherboards, without additional components.
AdvancedMC™
Kontron KTQ77/Flex
Kontron KTQM77/mITX
Equipped with the quad-core 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612UE processor and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology, the new Kontron AM4022 can produce an amazing amount of computing power, with up to 4 x 2.1 GHz of quad-core performance to run parallel, multi-
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threaded applications on MicroTCA™ and AdvancedTCA® integrated platforms. The Kontron AdvancedMC™ processor module AM4022 incorporates the high-performance Intel® Core™ i7 processor with an integrated memory controller for up to 8 GB of soldered DDR3-1600 ECC memory, PCI Express Gen3 I/O and Intel® HD 4000 graphics. Using the Kontron AM4022, customers can take advantage of the reduced component count and streamlined data paths between the CPU, PCH and peripherals in a powerful, space-saving and cost-effective design. Thus, Kontron’s latest AMC is ideal for MicroTCA™ platforms in telecommunications applications such as IPTV, media servers and media gateways, conference systems, and TETRA switches, as well as applications in medical, automation and security.
3U and 6U CompactPCI® blades
3U VPX CPU boards
Kontron VX3044
Based on the dual-core and quad-core 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor technology and designed to bring leading-edge performance, low power consumption and low heat dissipation to a broad range of applications, the Kontron CompactPCI® processor boards CP3003 (3U) and CP6004-SA (6U) ideally fi t the demands of, military, aerospace, transportation, medical, communications and industrial systems. For maximum application fl exibility the Kontron CompactPCI® processor boards come with an extensive range of interfaces with SATA 6Gb/s and USB3.0 support, three independent graphics outputs as well as up to 5x Gigabit Ethernet interfaces connected via PCI Express to meet the high performance requirements of communications applications. Kontron’s latest CompactCPI® processor boards furthermore support up to 16 GB of fast DDR3-1600 memory with ECC protection.
Kontron CP6004-SA Kontron CP3003
The new Kontron VX3042 and VX3044 are 3U VPX SBCs with native support for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and PCI Express 3.0. Based on the Intel® Core™ i7-3517UE dual-core processor, the Kontron VX3042 with a confi gurable TDP and a XMC slot, represents the most versatile solution ideal for console and rugged servers. Top of the scale, the Kontron VX3044 with the quad-core Intel® Core™ i7-3612QE processor is tailored for high performance embedded computing applications. This broad offering enables OEMs to pinpoint the ideal performance level right off the shelf and thus minimize design efforts and total cost of ownership for military, aerospace and transportation systems. With the new Kontron VX3042 and VX3044 system developers can develop extremely compact and light applications with high parallel computing power, such as video and image processing, radar, sonar or signal processing in software-defi ned wireless equipment. The new VPX boards support established APIs such as OpenCL as well as VXFabric, which simplifi es and speeds up application development.
Custom designs and application-ready platforms
As a second part of Kontron’s strategy to reduce design efforts Kontron offers extensive custom design services and migration support that includes validation and verifi cation. The demand for such services is high: In a recent survey of communications engineers, VDC Research determined, that particularly hardware integration (48%), custom design and manufacturing (45%) and technical support (37%) are the most requested services that application developers would like to see fulfi lled by external service providers. Thus, customization of all sorts is of particular importance, both in regards of hardware and of software. This is because hardware integration is often also a matter of software. Take for example the integration of peripheral components. The optimal all-round carefree package therefore is a mix of standards, that reduce costs and a customization service, that takes into account both hardware and software issues adequately.
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Also the importance of synchronized development of the right hardware, including system integration, is growing and the integration speed can be pushed so far that customers can even introduce their systems parallel to the launch of the processors. As, however, OEM customers' application development can often not keep up with this speed, complementary software services are a further lever which can be used to help application developers upgrade or migrate to new platforms. This sometimes even entails, for example, standard tasks such as the design of a web-based GUI so that alongside the hardware-related software development even actual software services can be carried out, letting developers fully concentrate on their core competence.
One main pre-requisites which Kontron had to put into place is the formation of a powerful software team, that can deal with the software aspects of the corresponding implementations– parallel to the development of the different hardware platforms and systems. Software teams working together in a global software design center are a great advantage so that re-usability can really be put to practice, which in the end leads to more development effi ciency. The more the software can be re-used, the faster and more cost-effi cient customer-specifi c implementation solutions can be provided.
If a hardware offering is connected with such a broad service portfolio, customers receive a truly application-ready platform – regardless of whether it is a standard, a semi-custom or full custom module, motherboard, IPC or system design from a hardware point of view. Application-ready platforms include all the required hardware components along with the hardware-optimized software implementation for the respective target application and are ready for use with the customer’s application software. Upon request, they can be certifi ed for the intended target market. So OEMs only have to integrate the application-ready platform into their application. That shortens time-to-market, lowers the total cost of ownership and is the foundation for high quality.
If one adds the aspects of supply chain and project managements and the Extended Lifecycle Management, customers can get a real full service package which allows them to completely concentrate on their application development. Partnership in developing is a major issue which accelerates development synchronization and can gain customers an increasing competitive advantage, as not only in the high-end area but also in the SFF segment, time-to-market is one of the most important variables in achieving signifi cant market shares.
References
[1] Multiple Gate Field-Effect Transistors for Future CMOS Technologieshttp://www.tr.ietejournals.org/article.asp?issn=0256-4602;year=2010;volume=27;issue=6;spage=446;epage=454;aulast=Subramanian
[2] 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors Bring Exciting New Experiences and Fun to the PChttp://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2012/04/23/3rd-generation-intel-core-processors-bring-exciting-new-experiences-and-fun-to-the-pc?cid=rss-258152-c1-274615
[3] The Intel® Revolutionary 22nm Transistor Technology Backgrounderhttp://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/silicon-innovations/standards-revolutionary-22nm-transistor-technology-backgrounder.html
[4] The Intel® Revolutionary 22 nm Transistor Technologyhttp://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/ 22nm/pdfs/ 22nm-Details_ Presentation.pdf
[5] The Next Generation of Intelligent Innovationshttps://www-ssl.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/core/intelligent-systems-core-processors.html
[6] Technology Insight: Intel® Next Generation Microarchitecture Codename Ivy Bridgehttp://www.intel.com/idf/library/pdf/sf_2011/SF11_SPCS005_101F.pdf
[7] Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Developer's Manual: Vol. 3Ahttp://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/manual/253668.pdf
[8] Mobile 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ Processor Family Datasheet – Volume 1 of 2http://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/datasheets/3rd-gen-core-family-mobile-vol-1-datasheet.pdf
[9] Image source:http://getsmart.intel.com/uk/technology/single-view/article/turbo-boost-even-more-effective-with-version-20/
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