COMPONENT DESIGN
Design and
manufacturing services for AMD Embedded server processors
D
esigning industrial servers that can withstand harsh environments is challenging, and edge applications often require highly customised solutions. To address this, industrial server manufacturers like Advantech have created ecosystems for OEMs and system integrators. These ecosystems cover everything from ruggedized standard configurations at the board and system levels to fully customised server designs.
As digitalisation accelerates, more computing power is needed at the edge. Huge amounts of data from sensors, devices, machines, and systems must be processed and analysed locally to enable real-time decision making. This increasingly relies on computationally intensive AI inferencing and machine learning for continuous AI optimisation. To enable this, edge servers require extremely high I/O agility and massive parallel computing power, for instance to incorporate insights from image data into control processes in real time. In some cases, edge servers consolidate multiple discreet controllers and automate processes across machines, which requires additional resources.
Lastly, edge servers are also important for local storage of historical data, for example, when continuous connectivity to central servers can’t be guaranteed. Network infrastructure and segment tasks, such as security, firewalls, and fog services for horizontal and vertical integration, further add
Efficiently developing dedicated edge and infrastructure servers
Advantech already offers AMD EPYC processor based edge and rugged industrial infrastructure servers in several standard configurations off-the-shelf.
to the data processing load at the edge and in industrial networks.
Current high-performance benchmarks for edge computing
The AMD EPYC Embedded processors of the 7003 and 9004 series open new frontiers in edge server performance. Offering 8 to 64 cores and up to 128 threads, 7003 processors clearly outperform competitors on numerous benchmarks (see benchmark graphic). They also excel in cost-efficiency; as single-socket servers, they provide precisely scalable computing power where alternative configurations would require dual- socket servers to match performance. This minimises software licensing costs and power
consumption. With PCIe Gen5 support and the advanced
Zen 4 architecture, the 9004 series goes a step further. Compared to the AMD EPYC Embedded 7003 series, it delivers up to 90% higher performance with an even better ratio of compute power to TDP. Certain 16 to 96 core models even offer double the performance. Downscaling is also improved, enabling a sustainable reduction of the energy consumption of server farms. Numerous new security features have been added as well.
Long-term support for durable products
The planned long-term support of 7 years is another key reason industrial OEMs and system integrators prefer EPYC Embedded processors for new edge server applications, whether they want to deploy (campus) network, security, storage or industrial applications, or develop virtualisation, containerisation, hybrid fog, or software- defined infrastructure solutions. The ruggedness of these enterprise-class embedded processors also ensures
26 FEBRUARY 2024 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
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