UltraScale explores IoT and networking markets

Xilinx has expanded its UltraScale portfolio, with new Artix (pictures) and Zynq UltraScale+ devices for applications which require compact form factors and intelligent edge processing.

The new Artix and Zynq UltraScale+ devices are in compact form factors that are 70 per cent smaller than traditional chip-scale packaging. The 16nm technology devices are in TSMC’s Integrated Fan-Out (InFO) packaging technology and are intended for use in industrial, vision, healthcare, broadcast, consumer, automotive and networking markets.

“Demand for compact, intelligent edge applications is driving the requirement for processing and bandwidth engines to not only provide higher performance, but also new levels of compute density to enable the smallest form factor systems,” said Sumit Shah, senior director, Product Line Management and Marketing at Xilinx. “The new cost-optimised additions . . . . leverage the architecture and production-proven technology of Xilinx’s UltraScale+ FPGAs and MPSoCs.”

The Artix UltraScale+ uses proven FPGA architecture and is suitable for a range of applications including machine vision with advanced sensor technology, high-speed networking, and compact 8K-ready video broadcasting. They deliver 16Gbits per second transceivers to support emerging and advanced protocols in networking, vision, and video. They also deliver the highest DSP compute in its class, said Xilinx.

The new ZU1 and the production-proven ZU2 and ZU3 devices are all in InFO packaging to expand the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC range. The ZU1 is designed for connectivity at the edge and for industrial and healthcare IoT systems, including embedded vision cameras, AV-over-IP 4K and 8K-ready streaming, handheld test equipment, as well as consumer and medical applications. It is built for miniaturised compute-intensive applications and is powered by a heterogeneous Arm processor-based multi-core processor subsystem. It is also able to migrate to common package footprints for greater compute performance.

Both the Artix and Zynq UltraScale+ families include the same security features found across the UltraScale+ portfolio, namely RSA-4096 authentication, AES-CGM decryption, DPA countermeasures. They also include Xilinx’s proprietary Security Monitor IP that adapts to security threats across the product life cycle, and which meets the security needs for both defence and commercial projects.

The first Artix UltraScale+ devices are expected to be available in production by Q3 2021, with Vivado Design Suite and Vitis Unified Software Platform tool support starting late summer. Zynq UltraScale+ ZU1 devices will also begin sampling in Q3 with tool support in Q2, with volume production beginning Q4.

The cost-optimised Artix devices and the extension to the Zynq UltraScale+ family join the company’s high-end Virtex UltraScale+ and the midrange Kintex UltraScale+   offerings to provide scalability across a single platform.

http://www.xilinx.com

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Lidar demo boards see farther, faster, says EPC

Driver demonstration boards, based on Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)’s fast transition EPC2034C eGaN FETs, allow a lidar system to see farther and faster, says the company.

The 200V, 12 sq mm EPC2034C eGaN FETs enable the EPC9150 to generate a 220A laser pulse peak in a pulse width that is only 2.9 nanoseconds wide. The high current increases the range of the lidar system, while the short pulse width leads to higher resolution. The small size and low cost make eGaN FETs and ICs ideal for lidar applications from automotive to industrial robotics and security, confirmed EPC.

A lidar system can be used to create 3D maps for autonomous vehicles, to determine speed and detect objects as part of its safety system. eGaN FETs and ICs provide the high current pulses, narrow pulse widths and small form factor that make high performance lidar practical for the constrained spaces of automotives, and affordable.

Engineers and driver assistance developers can use the EPC9150 to demonstrate the rapid transition capability of the EPC2034C eGaN FETs which provide power pulses to drive the laser diodes, VCSELs or LEDs up to 10 times faster than an equivalent MOSFET, said EPC. The company also pointed out that the eGaN FETs are in packages that are a small fraction of the area, energy, and cost of MOSFETs. The FETs can therefore, said EPC, enhance overall performance, including accuracy, precision, and processing speed as well as the price of a lidar system.

The EPC9150 ships with an interposer board. The interposer board is a collection of break-away 5.0 x 5.0mm square interposer PCBs with footprints to accommodate different lasers, RF connectors, and a collection of other footprints designed for experimentation with different loads. The use of the interposers allows many different lasers or other loads to be mounted, allowing users to test the performance with the load requirements that are appropriate to their application.

The EPC9150 demonstration board is available for immediate delivery from distributor, Digi-Key and EPC.

http://www.epc-co.com

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PCB connectors by Samtec suit microwave applications

Able to reach up to 65GHz compression mount PCB connectors are able to reach up to 65GHz for microwave applications.

The solderless vertical connector allows engineers to replace components in the field for cost-effective assembly to the board, said Samtec. Connector interfaces include 1.85mm (65GHz), 2.40mm (50GHz) and 2.92mm (40GHz). Microstrip and stripline options are available.

The PCB connectors have threaded coupling which is claimed to provide “superior repeatability” with high mechanical stability. Samtec also offers mating cable assemblies and announced that 1.35mm (90GHz) connectors will be introduced soon.

Samtec was founded in 1976. The company manufactures a broad line of electronic interconnect solutions, including high-speed board-to-board, high-speed cables, mid-board and panel optics, precision RF, two-piece board-to-board, and micro or rugged components and cables.

Samtec Technology Centers are dedicated to developing and advancing technologies, strategies and products to optimise performance and cost of a system from the bare die to an interface 100m away, and all interconnect points in between.

Samtec has over 40 international locations, with products sold in more than 125 different countries.

http://www.samtec.com

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AMD launches EPYC 7003 CPUs for secure cloud data performances

Delivering up to 19 per cent more instructions per clock, the EPYC 7003 series processors have been released by AMD. They are designed for high performance computing (HPC), cloud and enterprise customers and have Zen 3 cores and security features.

“With the launch of our 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processors, we are incredibly excited to deliver the fastest server CPU in the world,” says Forrest Norrod, senior vice president and general manager, Data Center and Embedded Solutions business group at AMD.

The EPYC 7003 series processors have up to 64 Zen 3 cores per processor and introduce new levels of per-core cache memory. They also continue to offer the PCIe 4 connectivity and memory bandwidth that defined the EPYC 7002 series CPUs.

They also have modern security features through AMD Infinity Guard, supporting Secure Encrypted Virtualization-Secure Nested Paging (SEV-SNP). The SEV-SNP feature adds strong memory integrity protection by creating an isolated execution environment to help prevent malicious hypervisor-based attacks.

For throughput computing capabilities to do more simulations in a given time period, or use bigger data sets or more complex models, AMD EPYC 7003 series processors enable faster time to discovery with more I/O and memory throughput, and powerful Zen 3 cores that deliver up to twice the performance for HPC workloads compared to any competing alternatives, says AMD.

For cloud providers who need compute density and security capabilities, AMD EPYC 7003 series processors offer the highest core density, claims AMD, with advanced security features and up to twice the integer performance compared to any competing devices.

The processors also increase transactional database processing by up to 19 per cent, improve Hadoop big data analytic sorts by up to 60 per cent and offer superior performance for a flexible Hyperconverged Infrastructure to help turn data into actionable insights faster, says AMD.

The AMD EPYC processor ecosystem is expected to grow significantly by the end of 2021 with more than 400 cloud instances using all generations of EPYC processors and 100 new server platforms using 3rd Gen EPYC processors. AMD EPYC 7003 Series processor-based solutions are available now through OEMs, ODMs, cloud providers and channel partners around the world.

Companies in the large AMD ecosystem have already responded and implemented the AMD EPYC 7003 series processors, including AWS, Google cloud and Microsoft Azure, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Lenovo and VMware are just some examples.

http://www.amd.com

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