Speeding autonomous defence designs
Kontron announced the S2000 Development Platform and the upcoming release of its high performance COBALT(TM) S1901 platform. Designed to help fast-track autonomous application software in a lab environment, the Kontron S2000 Development Platform enables defence application developers to experiment with, test and validate actual-size PCIe GPU or accelerator cards used in defence system deployments. With the S2000, designers of complex and challenging new autonomous, artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning military applications can optimise the configuration and system platform for production deployments.
The S2000 features the Intel Xeon scalable 8160T 24-core processor providing a powerful development tool that helps accelerate innovation. Additional processor options are available. The platform has an expansion slot for full-sized GPU, FPGA accelerators and video PCIe cards and a modular, ruggedized carrier board that is suitable for deployment. It also offers 128 gigabytes (GB) of M.2 storage and can be purchased in a liquid or air-cooled chassis.
Kontron developed its latest COBALT S1901 platform to meet the high-performance embedded computing (HPEC) requirements in forthcoming autonomous, artificial intelligence (AI) and deep leaning defence applications.
Meeting next-generation autonomous defence design requirements, the COBALT S1901 HPEC platform features multiple GPU, FPGA accelerator cards or video module options. It offers extensive high-speed I/O options such as 10 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) copper or fibre, USB 3.0, ruggedized connectors for RF and camera interfaces. Storage capacities are met with its M.2 NVME slots or high capacity 2.5-inch SSD slots (fixed or removable). The latest COBALT(TM) platform also offers WiFi and/or LTE cellular modem connectivity options. In addition, it provides superior digital signal processing (DSP) performance, is ruggedized for harsh environments and meets the military’s strict size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) guidelines.
Future autonomous, AI and deep learning defence applications will need fully-validated development tools and highly rugged, standards-based, multi-core platforms that can reliably handle compute-intensive deployments. Leveraging its extensive military system experience, Kontron’s HPEC systems have repeatedly demonstrated their worth supplying parallel virtual machine (VM) execution and advanced rugged architectures that balance processor power with I/O bandwidth to meet current and upcoming operational warfare system requirements. Utilizing the S2000 Evaluation Platform and the soon to be available COBALT(TM) S1901 makes it possible to host computationally-challenging autonomous, AI and deep learning applications on a small form factor platform that matches the requirements of a broader range of defence programmes.
Kontron exhibits its extensive portfolio of proven military hardware solutions at the booth #8150.
