11-01-2022 | Congatec | Subs & Systems
congatec has introduced the 12th Generation Intel Core mobile and desktop processors (formerly code-named Alder Lake) on ten new COM-HPC and COM Express Computer-on-Modules. Featuring the latest high-performance cores from Intel, the new modules in COM-HPC Size A and C and COM Express Type 6 form factors deliver significant performance gains and improvements for the world of embedded and edge computing systems. Most impressive is that engineers can now leverage Intel's innovative 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 give a quantum leap in multitasking and scalability levels. Next-gen IoT and edge applications benefit from up to six or eight (BGA/LGA) optimised Performance-cores (P-cores) plus up to eight low power Efficient-cores (E-cores) and DDR5 memory support to accelerate multithreaded applications and execute background tasks more efficiently.
Also, the mobile BGA processors with up to 96 Execution Units of the integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU have been estimated to provide tremendous improvements of up to 129% in graphics performance for immersive user experience. They can also process parallelised workloads faster, such as AI algorithms, compared to the 11th Gen Intel Core processors.
Optimised for the highest embedded client performance, the LGA processor-based modules' graphics now deliver up to 94% faster performance, and its image classification inference performance has almost tripled with up to 181% higher throughput. The modules also provide huge bandwidth to connect discrete GPUs for maximum graphics and GPGPU based AI performance. Compared to the BGA versions, these and other peripherals profit from doubled lane speed as they are supplied with ultra-fast PCIe 5.0 interface technology in addition to PCIe 4.0 off the processor. Likewise, the desktop chipsets give up to 8x PCIe 3.0 lanes for further connectivity, and the mobile BGA variants also provide up to 16x PCIe 4.0 lanes off the CPU and up to eight PCIe 3.0 lanes off the chipset.
Target industrial markets for both BGA and LGA variants can be found wherever high end embedded, and edge computer technology is deployed including edge computers and IoT gateways comprising multiple virtual machines for smart factories and process automation, AI-based quality inspection and industrial vision, real-time collaborative robotics, and autonomous logistics vehicles for warehouses and shipping. Typical outdoor applications cover AVs and mobile machines, video security and gateway applications in transportation and smart cities, and 5G cloudlets and edge devices needing AI-supported packet inspection.
"Leveraging Intel's innovative performance hybrid architecture with impressive P – core performance in combination with power-efficient E - cores Intel Thread Director assigns each workload to the proper cores for optimum performance. Selected processors are also suitable for hard real-time applications with Intel TCC and TSN. In combination with full support for Real-Time Systems' hypervisor technology, they are the ideal platform to consolidate a multitude of different workloads on one single edge platform. As this applies to low-power and high-performance scenarios alike, it enables highly sustainable designs with a small ecological footprint," explains Christian Eder, director marketing at congatec.
