Delivering greater performance per watt in embedded computers

SBC624 6U OpenVPX single board computer is first of five

GE Intelligent Platforms SBC624 6U OpenVPX
single board computer featuring 2nd Generation
Intel® Core™ i7 processor

GE Intelligent Platforms has announced that it will be utilising the exciting performance characteristics of 2^nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors – formerly codenamed ‘Sandy Bridge’ - in a series of new products to be announced in the coming months. The first product to be announced is the SBC624, a 6U OpenVPX single board computer featuring a range of processor options including a quad core Intel Core i7 processor running at up to 2.1GHz that is ideal for applications like signal processing in intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance and radar/sonar. 3U VPX, 6U VME and 6U CompactPCI® single board computers will also be announced in the near future, together with a multiprocessor platform based on the new Intel® processors.


The SBC624 complements and succeeds the SBC620 and SB622, based respectively on the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and Intel® Core™ i7 processor, and provides an optimum upgrade path/technology insertion opportunity for existing customers in line with GE’s long term commitment to maximizing the value of customer investments. It delivers greater performance than its predecessors, but within the same power envelope, making it ideal for SWaP-constrained environments such as manned and unmanned vehicles. Inclusion of the 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processor with its superior graphics and vector processing capabilities enables the SBC624 to address mil/aero applications beyond command/control such as signal processing, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and radar/sonar. The SBC624 is available in five build versions from benign to fully rugged, making it able to provide a cost-effective solution in environments from air-cooled to extremely harsh.


“Our customers will not only benefit from the outstanding performance that these new products will deliver for increasingly demanding applications,” said Rob McKeel, President, Military & Aerospace, GE Intelligent Platforms, “they will also benefit from the extensive GE ecosystem of supporting 6U VPX hardware and software that enables them to more easily single-source complete, integrated systems, and from GE’s industry-leading experience in the long term program support that is necessary for most military and aerospace programs."


“The second generation Intel Core i7 processors bring unprecedented performance to demanding embedded computing applications with their high throughput, sophisticated graphics capability, and integrated Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (Intel AVX) technology,” said Matt Langman, director of product marketing, Intel Embedded Computing Division. “The graphics and media capabilities in the 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processors enable manufacturers like GE to develop advanced platform solutions for industrial automation, communications, and military/aerospace applications."


The SBC624 also benefits from the Intel Core i7 processor’s support of PCI Express® Gen2 technology with a full 16-lane port, providing even greater bandwidth for on-board and off-board connectivity and enabling the high bandwidths required by today’s applications. In particular this high performance PCI Express interface makes the SBC624 an ideal host card to drive GE’s CUDA-enabled GPGPU board, the NPN240. Configuration flexibility of the SBC624 is maximized via two PMC sites and two XMC sites, while I/O includes 2 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet, four RS232 ports, VGA, two DVI/HDMI ports, seven USB 2.0 ports and two SATA interfaces. It is supported by a broad range of software including the AXIS Advanced Multiprocessor Integrated Software environment that shortens development times, reduces project cost and accelerates time to market. Operating system support is provided for Windows®, Linux® and VxWorks®.