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Kontron News
Kontron deploys 11th Gen Intel Core processors on COM Express® modules, 3U VPX blades and 3.5” SBC
Kontron, a leading global provider of IoT/Embedded Computing Technology (ECT), combines well established form factors with new features of the 11th Gen Intel Core processors. The 10nm platform combines a high performance CPU with the new Intel Iris Xe graphics and, together with PCI Express® 4.0, offers a balance between performance and dynamics in the 12-28W range in a compact space.
11th Gen Intel Core processors feature high-performance CPU/GPU computing power with integrated AI acceleration, plus SKU-dependent real-time capabilities for high-speed processing, computer vision, and low-latency deterministic computing.
The COM Express® Compact Type 6 module COMe-cTL6 offers variants up to quad core, Intel Core i7 processor, together with Dual Channel DDR4-3200 memory up to 48 GB and the second channel is also designed as soldered memory with up to 16 GB. This enables along with the industrial temperature range from -40 to +85 degrees Celsius applications in rugged and physically challenging environments. Moreover, an NVMe SSD can be equipped onboard, so that external storage media can be omitted. This storage can be attached to the 1 x4 PCIe 4.0 port of the CPU. In addition, there are also five PCIe 3.0 lanes available.
The on-board Intel I225 Ethernet controller offers up to 2.5GbE and supports, SKU-dependent, the TSN real-time standard (Time Sensitive Networking). Thus, the Kontron COMe-cTL6 module is suitable for time-critical applications that require very low transmission latencies, such as in the Industry 4.0 / IIoT environment of edge computing, machine and robotic control, as well as for digital signage and medical imaging. The COMe-cTL6 adopts the pin assignment and functions of existing solutions and can thus be implemented as a powerful successor without any major additional effort.
For the VPX computer blade domain, the VX3060 has selected CPU SKUs targeted for extended life usage profiles. Quad core units with specialized Vector Neural Network Instructions (VNNI) for Artificial Intelligence, AVX512 for a doubled signal processing pipeline and 96 EU (execution units) of the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics engine, accessible via OpenCL, provide highest computing performance.
Across its multiple ruggedisation levels, the VX3060 comes in two main variants. The first has three rear ETH BaseT for compatibility with the previous generation architecture, while the other version features a powerful dual 10GBaseKR. The pin assignment is compatible with VITA65 OpenVPX Profiles, and also supports the SOSA standard.
Kontron also plans a 3.5” SBC which will provide uncompromised improvements in processing, graphics and AI performance ideally suited for applications demanding high-speed processing, computer vision and low-latency. The board will provide several interfaces such as SATA 3.0, M.2, 2.5 GbE LAN, as well as four DP channels driving four independent displays running 4K videos at 60 fps.
This new generation of processors, made available by Kontron on COM Express®, VPX and 3.5” SBC form factors, is likely to become the platform of choice for SWAP Computers being designed for Computer Vision, Graphics, and Image Processing, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Signal Processing.
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