EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2020 – congatec

The edge is modular

There are exciting times ahead for the edge. If analysts’ predictions are true, we will see a massive growth at a CAGR of 54.0%[i] in the edge computing market over the next few years. Micro data centers will be located close to the infrastructure to address real-time issues in nearly all embedded markets. The cry for massive edge computing performance is coming from OEMs in markets as varied as industrial, energy & utilities, healthcare, transportation & logistics as well as retail and smart buildings & cities. The embedded computing industry already serves all these markets with low-power, ruggedized platforms that offer long term availability for harsh environments. But until today, there was a gap in processing performance for the server class, which may also include AI. The next generation of rugged mid-range server processors will address this gap, and embedded computing vendors will integrate these new processors on embedded platforms, offering nearly the same, well-known benefits for OEMs as in the past. There will be only one difference: These platforms will have brand new server-grade functionalities, including all required RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) features such as IPMI interfaces and functionalities for out-of-band management. It is obvious that existing Computer-on-Module standards can neither cater for these server-grade functionalities nor support the latest high-speed interfaces such as 25 GbE or PCIe Gen 4 and Gen 5.

But there is a tremendous need for Computer-on-Modules at the edge since the devices deployed there are heterogeneous. Customization is therefore mandatory. Scalability beyond processor sockets is another highly welcome feature as it allows future performance upgrades of these individual edge devices at lowest costs. This is one of the major reasons why the PICMG has been working on a new specification for modular embedded edge computers at server as well as client level. Following the recent footprint and pinout approval, the upcoming new COM-HPC standard has now entered the home stretch for the ratification of version 1.0 of the specification, which is scheduled for the first half of 2020. Based on the pre-approved data, Computer-on-Module manufacturers and carrier board designers who are actively involved in the COM-HPC technical committee have now started their first designs based on COM-HPC, with the expectation of bringing them to market as soon as Intel and AMD launch their next high-end embedded processor generations in 2020. With IHS Markit estimating that Computer-on-Modules will account for around 38% of total sales of embedded computing boards, modules and systems this year, the launch of COM-HPC will be of great significance. All engineers should therefore check out what benefits COM-HPC may offer for their own new edge computing designs.

[i] https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-edge-computing-market

Tags: Predictions

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 30th, 2020 at 6:00 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.