Standards & Regulations
COM-HPC: extreme speed and scalability
It was in March 2021 that the PICMG, a leading consortium for the development of open embedded computing specifications, ratified the latest Computer-on-Modules specification – COM-HPC, which targets high-performance embedded and edge computing applications. Just one year later, OEMs have access to a complete product and service offering including cooling solutions, carrier boards and design-in support, writes Christian Eder, marketing director at congatec and chairman of the PICMG COM-HPC subcommittee
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OM-HPC is the latest Computer- on-Modules standard specified by the PICMG and has been specifically developed for high-performance edge servers
and the next generation of heterogeneous multicore clients. Consequently, it supports all the latest high-speed interfaces such as PCI Express 5.0 and Thunderbolt, and provides Ethernet support for data transfer rates of up to 200 Gbit/s in total. With these features, COM-HPC extends the performance range of the well-established and until now most successful COM Express standard with different footprints for multi-purpose embedded designs, server designs and even credit card sized small form factor applications. As with COM Express, there are different module types for different application areas, which in this case include headless COM-HPC Server modules and COM-HPC Client variants with graphics support.
A new class of server performance The latest product launches are in the range of the COM-HPC Server standard with modules based on the new Intel Xeon D (formerly codenamed Ice Lake) processor. These new modules fulfil the need for ultra-high embedded edge performance and extended connectivity for the new class of headless edge servers that are increasingly used as distributed systems in industrial applications for harsh environments and extended temperature ranges. Such edge servers process data at the edge of communication networks instead of in central clouds. This enables interaction with clients of all kinds without delay or in real time but presents manufacturers of server, networking and storage technologies with major challenges. Another major market are all the new private 5G infrastructure installations like femtocells for the digital transformation in industrial manufacturing. Wherever cabling is either too expensive or impossible due to too long distances the 5G standard is a real
44 June 2022
themselves with basic processor technology issues, but only deal with the application- specific positioning of the board components and execute the interfaces at the right place on the carrier board. To this end, the PICMG standardization committee recently released the COM-HPC Carrier Design Guide. It provides essential guidelines for building interoperable and scalable customer-specific embedded computing platforms based on the new standard and also makes it easy for developers to understand the logic behind it.
Additional services for simplified design-ins
The Computer-on-Module approach makes it easy to develop dedicated systems with application-specific interface layouts using custom-designed carrier boards
revolution for industrial communication as it enables reliable wireless distribution and processing of massive amounts of data in real time and, importantly, over longer distances than with WLAN.
The new modules with Intel Xeon D processors are the first that can provide the necessary performance for these applications with up to 20 cores, up to 1 TB of memory on up to 8 DRAM sockets and with up to 47 PCIe lanes per module in total, as well as up to 100 GbE connectivity and support for time-coordinated computing (TCC) and time-sensitive networking (TSN) to enable real-time communication between devices.
More performance for multi-purpose designs
For COM-HPC Client designs there are already two module generations based on the Intel Core processor technology available. The latest modules feature 12th Generation Intel Core mobile and desktop processors (formerly codenamed Alder Lake). Most impressive is the fact that engineers can now leverage Intel’s innovative
Components in Electronics
performance hybrid architecture. Offering up to 14 cores/20 threads on BGA and 16 cores/24 threads on desktop variants (LGA mounted), 12th Gen Intel Core processors provide a quantum leap in multitasking and scalability levels. Next-gen IoT and edge applications benefit from up to 6 or 8 (BGA/LGA) optimized Performance-cores (P-cores) plus up to 8 low power Efficient- cores (E-cores) and DDR5 memory support to accelerate multithreaded applications and execute background tasks more efficiently. Even applications that must operate extremely reliably under the most demanding environmental conditions can be served with COM-HPC modules. congatec for example offers COM-HPC Client modules based on 11th gen Intel Core processors and with high- quality components designed to withstand extreme temperatures from -40 to +85°C.
Unique benefits for designs The advantage of COMHPC Computer-on- Modules is that developers can integrate them into their custom carrier boards as application-ready embedded computing logic. This means they don’t have to concern
Although Computer-on-Modules help to simplify the design of new applications, the new high-speed interfaces represent a new hurdle for developers, who now have to deal with high frequencies complicating board designs significantly. To allow developers despite these pitfalls to dive quickly, easily and efficiently into the new design rules, congatec has opened an online and on-site training academy for COM-HPC Server and Client designs. Here, developers can get an expert-led introduction to the new world of high-end embedded and edge computing designs based on the new Computer-on- Module standard. The training program covers all mandatory and recommended design basics and best practice schematics of COM-HPC carrier boards and accessories such as high-end fanless cooling solutions for server designs up to 100 Watt or more. The feature-rich evaluation carrier boards for COM-HPC Server modules serve as a reference platform for learning how to implement Intel Xeon D processors. They leverage the full feature set of the standard, and developers can use them as platforms for further application development. Further information can be found at
https://www.congatec.com/COM-HPC and
https://www.picmg.org/openstandards/ development/
www.cieonline.co.uk
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