Doug Sandy is the CTO of PICMG, an industry consortium focused on developing open and modular computing specifications. He, along with dozens of member companies who participated in the development of the upcoming COM-HPC specification, believes that engineers building edge systems need new hardware. “Between converged network rollouts and advances in AI, the hardware requirements for edge computing have changed,” Sandy says. “Modern edge workloads need a combination of high-end compute, managed power consumption, and low-latency data transmission.” These merging requirements led PICMG to pursue a new standard for high-performance computing. The result is COM-HPC, a computer-on-module specification that brings unprecedented computing power and I/O bandwidth to resource-constrained applications. First ratified in 2021, COM-HPC has expanded to address various use cases. Most recently, COM-HPC Mini was created to address small form factor applications. “COM-HPC Mini introduces a credit-card-sized form factor with features like expanded connectivity support, efficient thermal management, and […]
COM-HPC 1.2 specification released with COM-HPC Mini 95x70mm form factor
PICMG has announced the release of the COM-HPC 1.2 specification adding the COM-HPC Mini form factor that’s about the size of a credit card (90x75mm) or half the size of the next-smallest COM-HPC form factor but still provides access to high-speed interfaces such as PCIe Gen5, USB4, and 10GbE. The COM-HPC “High-Performance Computing” form factor was introduced a few years ago for more powerful CPUs (higher TDP) with support for PCIe Gen4 (the COM Express form factor can’t handle PCIe Gen 4 clock speeds and throughputs well), and until now four sizes were available with COM-HPC Client Type modules measuring 95 x 120mm (Size A) to 160 x 120mm (Size C) and Server Type modules having either 160 x 160mm (Size D) or 200 x 160mm (Size E) dimensions. The COM-HPC Mini brings a smaller (95 x 60 mm) credit card-sized form factor to the COM-HPC standard for applications such […]
Selecting Raptor Lake COM-HPC or COM Express modules for your application (Sponsored)
ADLINK Technology introduced the COM-HPC-cRLS (Raptor Lake-S) COM-HPC size C module and Express-RLP Raptor Lake-P COM Express Type 6 module at the beginning of the year, and while we covered the specifications for both in detail at the time of the announcement, we’ll compare the advantages and benefits of the two types of 13th generation Raptor Lake modules in this post and compare 12th gen Alder Lake-S and 13th Gen Raptor Lake-S processor performance to help potential buyers select the right one for their applications. Raptor Lake COM-HPC vs COM Express vs modules The table above provides a high-level comparison between the COM-HPC-cRLS (Raptor Lake-S) and the Express-RLP (Raptor Lake-P) modules. The Raptor Lake-S socketed processor family found in the COM-HPC provides more processing power, supports up to 128GB DDR5, and the COM-HPC standard adds support for PCIe Gen5 which is not possible with the COM Express standard. The Raptor […]
conga-HPC/cRLS Raptor Lake COM-HPC Client module supports up to 128GB DDR5 RAM
Congatec conga-HPC/cRLS is a COM-HPC Client Size C computer-on-module based on a 13th gen Intel Raptor Lake processor with support for up to 128GB DDR5 memory through four SO-DIMM sockets. The COM-HPC module also provides up to three DDI display interfaces, two 2.5GbE networking interfaces with TSN support, two SATA storage interfaces, and a range of PCIe Gen 3, 4, and 5 interfaces through the two 400-pin connectors defined in the COM-HPC standard. conga-HPC/cRLS specifications: Raptor Lake-S SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i3-13100E with 4x P-cores @ 3.3GHz / 4.4GHz, 12 MB cache, Intel UHD Graphics 730; PBP: 65W Intel Core i5-13400E with 6x P-cores @ 2.4GHz / 4.6GHz, 4x E-cores @ 1.5GHz / 3.3GHz, 20MB cache, Intel UHD Graphics 730; PBP: 65W Intel Core i7-13700E with 8x P-cores @ 1.9GHz / 5.1GHz, 8x E-cores @ 1.3GHz / 3.9GHz, 30MB cache, Intel UHD Graphics 770; PBP: 65W Intel […]
COM Express & COM-HPC modules features Intel 13th gen Raptor Lake embedded processors
ADLINK has just announced the Express-RLP COM Express Type 6 and COM-HPC-cRLS COM-HPC size C modules based on the new Intel 13th generation Raptor Lake hybrid processors with Embedded and Industrial SKUs. The Express-RLP comes with an up to 14 cores, 20 threads Raptor Lake-P processor, 64GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, and PCIe Gen4, while the COM-HPC-cRLS offers up to a 24-core Rasptor Lake-S embedded processor, 128GB DDR5 SO-DIMM, PCIe Gen5, and 2x 2.5GbE LAN. Both modules support Intel TCC, and Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), and are suitable for hard real-time computing workloads required by applications such as industrial automation, autonomous driving, AI robots, and aviation. Express-RLP Raptor Lake-P COM Express module Specifications: Raptor Lake-P SoC (one of the other) Intel Core i7-13800HRE 6P+8E cores/20 threads processor @ up to 2.5 GHz with 24MB cache, Intel Iris Xe graphics; TDP: 45W (cTDP: 35W) Intel Core i7-1370PRE 6P+8E cores/20 threads processor @ up […]
Credit card-sized COM-HPC Mini modules to support PCIe Gen4 and Gen5 interfaces
PICMG has announced that the COM-HPC Mini form factor’s pinout and dimensions definitions were finalized, with the tiny credit card-sized modules able to handle PCIe Gen4 and Gen5 interfaces, of course, depending on whether the selected CPU supports those. The COM-HPC “High-Performance Computing” form factor was created a few years ago due to the lack of interfaces on the COM Express form factor with “only” 440 pins and potential issues to handle PCIe Gen 4 clock speeds and throughputs. So far, we had COM-HPC Client Type modules from 95 x 120mm (Size A) to 160 x 120mm (Size C) and Server Type modules with either 160 x 160mm (Size D) or 200 x 160mm (Size E) dimensions. The COM-HPC Mini brings a smaller (95 x 70 mm) credit card-sized form factor to the COM-HPC standard. The way they cut the size of the COM-HPC Size A form factor by half […]
conga-HPC/uATX is a micro-ATX board for COM-HPC Client Type modules
congatec has just introduced the conga-HPC/uATX micro-ATX carrier board designed for COM-HPC Client modules size A, B, and C. The board is vendor independent since it is based on the COM-HPC and micro-ATX standards and designed for embedded long-term availability of at least seven years. That means the micro-ATX carrier board works congatec solutions such as the high-end conga-HPC/cALS COM-HPC Client Size C module with up to a 16-core Intel Core i9 Alder Lake-S processor or the more power-efficient conga-HPC/cALP COM-HPC Client Size A modules with Intel Celeron 7305E processor, as well as similar solutions from ADLINK Technology, Advantech, Portwell, and other vendors. conga-HPC-/uATX carrier board specifications: Compatible with COM-HPC Client Type Modules (Size A: 95 x 120mm, Size B: 120 x 120mm, and Size C: 160 x 120mm) with CPU and memory sockets Video Output 3x DP++ with 8.1 Gbps Re-driver 1x eDP (optional for LVDS) Audio HDA codec […]
Intel Xeon D network and edge processors find their way into COM Express & COM-HPC modules
Intel has recently launched the Intel Xeon D (Ice Lake-D) processor family with the D-2700 and the D-1700 models designed for software-defined network and edge applications with integrated AI and crypto acceleration, built-in Ethernet, support for Intel Time Coordinated Computing (TCC) and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), plus high reliability. The new processors are bringing data center-class hardware to the edge, and at least two embedded systems companies, namely ADLINK Technology and Congatec, have already launched COM-HPC server modules and COM Express Type 7 module based on the new Intel Xeon D family. Intel Xeon D processors Intel Xeon D-2700 and Intel Xeon D-1700 are designed for space- and power-constrained ruggedized environments, feature industrial-class reliability, hardware-based security, and up to 56 high-speed PCIe lanes to support networks with up to 100Gbps Ethernet. While the Intel Xeon D-1700 sub-family is scalable from 2 to 10 cores, the Intel Xeon D-2700 family goes up […]