~ New COMs based on latest Intel Core processors bring benefits to demanding IoT, edge and vision applications ~
The global edge device market is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27 per cent each year, with applications fulfilling increasingly complex functions that increase the technical demands of components. To help companies develop embedded computing systems capable of meeting the requirements of edge applications, Recab UK is offering the latest Computer-on-Modules (COMs) from congatec, which feature 11th Gen Intel Core vPro, Intel Xeon W-11000E and Intel Celeron processors.
The new COMs are available in COM-HPC Client and COM Express Type 6 form factors, named the conga-HPC/cTLH and conga-TS570 respectively. Each is built on Intel’s 10nm SuperFin technology in a two-package design with dedicated CPU and platform controller hub (PCH), which allows the module to provide greater processing performance with reduced voltage droop and lower power consumption. The modules also offer a bandwidth of up to 20 PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes, for massive connected real-time Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gateway and intelligent edge computing workloads.
To process the significantly increased workloads, the new modules boast up to 128GB DDR4 SO‑DIMM RAM, integrated AI accelerators and up to eight high-performance CPU cores that achieve up to 65 per cent performance gain in multi-thread performance and up to 32 per cent in single-thread performance. The COMs can also provide a 70 per cent improvement to visualisation, auditory and graphics intensive workloads compared to predecessors, making the modules an ideal fit for embedded vision systems in transport, robotics and defence markets.
“Edge computing is increasingly faced with highly demanding workloads from vision systems or video capture peripherals,” explained Martin Frederiksen, managing director of Recab UK. “This is particularly common in the transport and defence markets that we regularly serve, where many systems often rely heavily on video feeds and some level of artificial intelligence. Here, high data throughput and compute power are a necessity — and these new COMs from congatec are an ideal platform to delivering that.
“In addition to the processor performance, the new COM-HPC and COM Express Type 6 modules boast many real-time capabilities. This includes Intel time coordinated computing (Intel TCC) and time sensitive networking (TSN), as well as native support for Real-Time Systems’ hypervisor technology. This not only makes them perfect for real-time connected IIoT gateways and edge devices, but it allows Recab to leverage its industry partnerships to provide a full TSN-compatible solution.
“One area that we’re seeing interest for faster video processing from embedded systems is in the rail sector, with more sophisticated security systems on rolling stock applications. With this COM, we can develop a scalable rugged embedded system that supports quick image processing at the edge and can easily integrate with a TSN-supporting Ethernet switch for rapid data communication across the network.”
To connect peripherals with massive bandwidth, the COM-HPC modules support 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (x16 and x4), and the COM Express versions support 16 PCIe lanes. In addition, designers can leverage 20 PCIe Gen 3 lanes with COM-HPC and 8 PCIe Gen 3 lanes on COM Express. To support ultra-fast NVMe SSD, the COM-HPC module also provides 1x PCIe x4 interface to the carrier board. Additional storage media can be connected via 2x SATA Gen 3 on COM-HPC or 4x SATA on COM Express.
To find out more about the new COMs from congatec, visit the Recab UK website. Alternatively, project engineers can contact the company on +44 (0) 1634 300900 to discuss how this product can fit into an embedded computing project that meets demanding industry conditions.
