congatec has launched three new Server-on-Module families based on the brand-new Intel Xeon D processor family, formerly codenamed Ice Lake D. The new COM-HPC Server modules in Size E and Size D as well as the COM Express Type 7 modules will accelerate the next generation of real-time microserver workloads in rugged environments and extended temperature ranges.
Improvements include up to 20 cores, RAM to up to 1 TB, double throughput per PCIe lanes to Gen 4 speed, as well as up to 100 GbE connectivity and TCC/TSN support. Target applications include drones, robotics and vision-enabled autonomous vehicles.
Besides the significant bandwidth and performance improvements, congatec’s three new Server-on-Module families will extend the lifecycle of next-gen rugged edge server designs compared to common servers as long-term availability of up to ten years is planned. The module families also provide a comprehensive server-grade feature set. For mission critical designs, they offer powerful hardware security features including Intel Boot Guard, Intel Total Memory Encryption – Multi-Tenant (Intel TME-MT) and Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX). AI applications benefit from built-in hardware acceleration including AVX-512 and VNNI. For best RAS capabilities, the processor modules integrate the Intel Resource Director Technology (Intel RDT) and support remote hardware management features such as IPMI and redfish.
The new modules will become available in a High Core Count (HCC) and a Low Core Count (LCC) variant featuring different flavors of the Intel Xeon D processor series:
- The conga-HPC/sILH COM-HPC Server Size E modules will be equipped with 5 different Intel Xeon D-2700 processors with a choice of 4 to 20 cores, 8 DIMM sockets for up to 1 TByte of 2933 MT/s fast DDR4 memory with ECC, 32x PCIe Gen 4 and 16x PCIe Gen 3 as well as 100 GbE throughput plus real-time capable 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet with TSN and TCC support at a processor base power of 65 to 118 Watt.
- The COM-HPC Server Size D and COM Express Type 7 modules will come with 5 different Intel Xeon D-1700 processors with a choice of 4 to 10 cores. While the conga-B7Xl COM Express Server-on-Module supports up to 128 GB DDR4 2666 MT/s RAM via up to 3 SODIMM sockets, the conga-HPC/sILL COM-HPC Server Size D module offers 4 DIMM sockets for up to 256 GB of 2933 MT/s fast DDR4 RAM. Both module families offer 16x PCIe Gen 4 and 16x PCIe Gen 3 lanes. For fast networking, they provide up to 100 GbE throughput and TSN TCC support via 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet at a processor base power of 40 to 67 Watt.
Martin Danzer, Director of Product Management at congatec, commented: “The launch of our massive workload accelerating Intel Xeon D processor based COM-HPC Server-on-Modules is a milestone for the various edge server industries in three respects. First, Intel Xeon D processor based Server-on-Modules now target not only standard industrial environments but also outdoor and in-vehicle applications due to the extended temperature range support. Second, the worldwide first x86 COM-HPC Server-on-Modules extend the available number of cores for the first time to 20 and with up to 8 RAM sockets enable massively more memory bandwidth, which is essential for server workloads. Third, these server modules have real-time capabilities both with respect to the processor cores and TCC/TSN enabled real-time Ethernet. This is a combination that many OEMs have been eagerly waiting for.”
