Computer-on-module HPC board features 11th gen Intel core processor

Congatec presents a brand new COM-HPC starter set at embedded world 2021 DIGITAL. Ideal for modular system designs utilizing the latest high-speed interface technologies such as PCIe Gen4, USB 4.0, and up to ultra-fast 2×25 GbE connectivity as well as integrated MIPI-CSI vision capabilities, the starter set is based on congatec’s PICMG COM-HPC Computer-on-Module conga-HPC/cTLU, which leverages 11th Gen Intel Core processor technology (code name Tiger Lake). This new high-end embedded module generation targets system engineers working on the broadband-connected edge devices that are emerging in industrial IoT. Target markets include medical, automation, transportation, and autonomous mobility, as well as vision-based inspection and video surveillance systems, to name just a few.

The starter set’s various Ethernet configuration options range from 8x 1GbE switching options and 2x 2.5 GbE including TSN support up to up to dual 2x 10 GbE connectivity congatec’s comprehensive AI support for MIPI-CSI connected cameras from Basler adds further application readiness to industrial IoT and Industry 4.0 connected embedded systems. AI and inferencing acceleration can be achieved with Intel DL Boost running on the CPU vector neural network instructions (VNNI) or with 8-bit integer instructions on the GPU (Int8). Attractive in this context is the support of the Intel Open Vino ecosystem for AI, which comes with a library of functions and optimized calls for OpenCV and OpenCL kernels to accelerate deep neural network workloads across multiple platforms to achieve faster, more accurate results for AI inference. The set presented at embedded world 2021 DIGITAL is based on the following components of congatec’s COM-HPC ecosystem:

The ATX compliant carrier board conga-HPC/EVAL-Client incorporates all interfaces specified by the new COM-HPC Client standard and supports the extended temperature range from -40°C to +85°C. It comes with two massively performant PCIe Gen4 x16 connectors plus a variety of LAN data bandwidths, data transfer methods, and connectors, including 2x 10 GbE, 2.5 GbE, and 1GbE support. Over mezzanine cards, the carrier can run even higher-performance interfaces up to 2×25 GbE, making this evaluation platform a perfect fit for massively connected edge devices. The board supports the COM-HPC sizes A, B, and C, and includes all interfaces engineers require for programming, firmware flashing, and reset.

The heart of the presented starter set for COM-HPC Client designs, the conga-HPC/cTLU module, is available in different processor configurations. For each of these configurations, three different cooling solutions are available that fit the entire configurable 12-28W TPD range of the 11th Gen Intel Core processors.