Achronix announces FPGA IP blocks with 400 GbE connectivity

FPGA and embedded FPGA (eFPGA) IP provider, Achronix has announced that its suite of flexible FPGA IP blocks, the Achronix Network Infrastructure Code (ANIC) includes 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) connectivity. ANIC IP blocks are optimised to accelerate high performance networking pipelines for Speedster 7t FPGAs and the VectorPath accelerator card.

As the demand for high speed data processing continues to grow exponentially, said Achronix, it has developed its IP to address the evolving needs of the networking industry. Integrating 400 GbE and PCIe Gen 5.0, Achronix empowers data centre operators, cloud service providers and telecommunications companies to create SmartNIC solutions which are scalable and flexible.

With 400 GbE support, the ANIC IP enables fast data transfer rates, allowing organisations to process massive amounts of data in real time. This accelerated network throughput maximises application performance and significantly reduces latency, said the company.

ANIC’s modular architecture enables customers to select SmartNIC components necessary for an application. Each optimised IP block is pre-verified with closed timing to speed design. Coupled with partial reconfiguration (the ability to dynamically change the functionality of a block within the IP design), solutions can be seamlessly modified in the field.

Customers can deploy custom IP functions, such as key value stores, intrusion prevention, de-duplication and other network applications, to provide highly parallelised, value added network solutions at 400 GbE network speeds.

Steve Mensor, vice president of marketing for Achronix Semiconductor described the introduction of 400 GbE as a breakthrough which will allow customers to unlock new levels of performance and address the ever-growing demands of modern data centres and communication networks.

ANIC modular IP runs on Speedster7t AC7t1500 FPGAs and VectorPath S7t-VG6 accelerator cards offering what is claimed to be the industry’s highest performance for networking and compute acceleration applications. The Speedster7t architecture includes a 2D network on chip (2D NoC) that provides 20 Tbits per second of total bandwidth. The 2D NoC offers high speed connectivity between the FPGA fabric and the high speed interfaces including 400 GbE, PCIe Gen 5.0, GDDR6, and DDR4/5. Additionally, Speedster7t FPGAs have machine learning processors (MLPs) distributed across the FPGA fabric. Each MLP is a highly configurable, compute-intensive block, with up to 32 multipliers that support integer formats from four to 32 bits and various floating-point modes including direct support for TensorFlow’s bfloat16 format and block floating-point (BFP) format.

Achronix Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, USA, offering FPGA-based data acceleration solutions, designed to address high- performance, compute-intensive and real time processing applications. Achronix claims to be the only supplier to have both high-performance, high-density standalone FPGAs and licensed eFPGA IP solutions.

Its portfolio includes Speedster 7t FPGA and Speedcore eFPGA IP as well as  ready-to-use VectorPath accelerator cards targeting AI, machine learning, networking and data centre applications. All Achronix products are fully supported by the Achronix tool suite which enables customers to quickly develop their own custom applications.

Achronix has sales and design teams across the US, Europe and Asia. 

http://www.achronix.com

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Green Hills Software supports Imagination’s RISC-V CPUs 

At AutoTech Detroit this week, Imagination Technologies will be demonstrating Green Hills’ µ-velOSity running on its RISC-V CPUs’ RISC-V Catapult CPUs. The two companies have announced a partnership in which Green Hills’ µ-velOSity RTOS will support Imagination Technologies’ CPUs to accelerate real-time safety and security in automotive and industrial designs.

This partnership will extend support to Imagination’s Catapult CPU family roadmap in the future, confirmed the two companies. 

The µ-velOSity RTOS is the smallest of Green Hills Software’s family of real time operating systems. It has been updated and optimised to support the RISC-V architecture and has been certified to meet industry standards for functional safety and security. It offers seamless integration with the safety-certified Green Hills MULTI integrated development environment (IDE) and C/C++ compilers, in order to make it easy for developers to learn and use to create high performance, small footprint designs for automotive, industrial, and IoT applications.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Imagination and are thrilled to extend our support to the company’s RISC-V CPUs,” said Dan Mender, vice president of business development at Green Hills Software. “The adoption of the RISC-V instruction set architecture is increasing rapidly in countless markets, particularly in IoT, industrial, and embedded applications. By using Imagination’s Catapult family and our µ-velOSity RTOS, advanced debugger and optimising C/C++ compilers, customers can efficiently create and confidently deploy safety- and security-critical RISC-V applications,” he added.

Catapult is Imagination’s RISC-V product line designed from the ground up for deployment and is configurable for use in a variety of markets, said the company.

Imagination’s RISC-V real-time CPUs can be integrated into complex SoCs for applications as wide ranging as networking, packet management, storage controllers and sensor management for AI cameras and smart metering. The company also provides GPU and AI accelerator IP and confirmed it will be expanding its RISC-V CPU product line with more applications-focused solutions in the future. All Imagination GPUs are compatible with RISC-V SoCs.

Imagination will be demonstrating Green Hills’ µ-velOSity running on Imagination’s RISC-V CPUs at AutoTech Detroit (7 to 8 June) at Booth 827. 

https://www.imaginationtech.com

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Aaeon releases Boxer-8646AI AI system, powered by Nvidia AGX Orin 

A fanless PoE embedded AI system by Aaeon is designed as an edge AI computer operating across multiple, vertical markers, including smart safety, parking and traffic management.

The Boxer-8646AI is a fanless PoE embedded AI system powered by the Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin module.  It is equipped with an Ethernet interface and – with 12 PoE LAN ports – offers three times more PoE LAN ports than any previous Aaeon products featuring Nvidia Jetson modules.

  It is also equipped with one 10G LAN port and four DB-9 ports for functions such as CANbus FD, RS-232/422/485 and DIO. LPDDR5 support provides fast system memory to ensure exceptional data transmission speed for peripheral devices such as cameras and sensors. 

For storage, the Boxer-8646AI offers 64Gbyte of eMMC alongside NVMe, which is accommodated via M.2 2280 M-Key as well as a SIM card slot. The system hosts additional expansion options for add-on cards to augment application performance, namely an M.2 2230 E-Key and an M.2 3052 B-Key to facilitate wireless connections such as Wi-Fi / Bluetooth and LTE respectively. 

Compatible with Nvidia Jetpack 5.0 and above, the Boxer-8646AI equips users with a library of graphics, multimedia and inferencing accelerators to complement its Nvidia Ampere GPU architecture. The interfaces offered by the Boxer-8646AI will enable users to take full advantage of the 200 TOPS of AI performance offered by the Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin platform, allowing them to both build and scale edge computing applications requiring high-quality inferencing performance across multiple video streams simultaneously.

The Boxer-8646AI is designed to sustain fanless operation within a wide -20 to +50 degrees C temperature range, for outdoor deployment. The Boxer-8646AI is available to order now. 

Established in 1992, Aaeon designs and manufactures industrial IoT and AI edge solutions and computing platforms including industrial motherboards and systems, rugged tablets, embedded AI Edge systems, uCPE network appliances, and LoRaWAN / WWAN solutions. Aaeon provides experience and knowledge to OEMs / ODMs worldwide and works closely with cities and governments to develop and deploy smart city ecosystems, offering individual platforms and end-to-end solutions. 

http://www.aaeon.com

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Secure i.MX 91 processors bring Linux to the edge, says NXP

Bringing Linux capabilities to “thousands of edge applications” the i.MX 9 series of processors streamlines the development of cost-optimised edge devices that require security, performance and Linux support in a scalable, reliable platform, said NXP Semiconductors.

The processors are designed for the next generation of Linux-based IoT and industrial applications.

Emerging protocols, such as Matter or the ISO 15118-20 standard for electric vehicle (EV) chargers, create inflection points for new products, many of which rely on Linux for use in IoT and industrial markets. The i.MX 91 family has been developed to enable users to quickly create new Linux-based edge devices, such as home controllers, connected appliances, home entertainment, industrial scanning and printing, building control, EV chargers and medical platforms, advised NXP.

The i.MX 91 is the entry point of the i.MX 9 series and has hardware and software commonality with NXP’s i.MX 93 family. 

It will “provide the foundation for thousands of new device classes, with its high performance, connectivity and EdgeLock secure enclave setting a new standard for Linux platforms across IoT and industrial applications,” said Charles Dachs, senior vice president and general manager, of industrial and IoT edge, at NXP. He continued: “The i.MX 91 family enables the rapid development of platforms that may easily pivot into new markets and new applications, leveraging existing investments and streamlining product line updates.”

The i.MX 91 applications processor features an Arm Cortex-A55 running at up to 1.4GHz with support for LPDDR4 memory and dual Gigabit Ethernet for gateway or multi-network segment support. There are also dual USB ports and I/O for products in smart factory, smart home, smart office, medical device, metering and cost-optimised system on module platforms.

An integrated EdgeLock secure enclave provides lifecycle management, tamper detection, secure boot, and a simplified path to certifications. These important security capabilities are easily accessed by the developers through NXP-provided security software enablement.

The i.MX 91 family is available with NXP’s co-developed and cost-optimised power management solution, available as part of the i.MX 93 family ecosystem. The evaluation kits and software packages for the i.MX 91 family integrate with NXP’s scalable wireless portfolio which includes the IW612, the industry’s first monolithic tri-radio family that supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and 802.15.4. The IW612, focused on Matter, frees consumers from the restrictions of single-protocol ecosystems, allowing them to enjoy seamless interoperability across different ecosystems and wireless network technologies.

NXP’s i.MX applications processors are available worldwide through distributors and eTailers. They are enabled by NXP software, a broad ecosystem of tools and software, and comprehensive support. To help ensure a stable supply of products for embedded designs, all i.MX 8 series and i.MX 9 series products are guaranteed for a minimum of 15 years of availability as members of the NXP product longevity programme.

NXP expects to enable select customers with i.MX 91 development platforms in the second half of 2023 as part of the early access programme. 

http://www.nxp.com

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