Rugged System Innovations: Introducing VITA 100 Standards
The VITA 100 working group is developing the next-generation open standards for embedded computing systems, aiming to improve upon the VPX standard's power, cooling, and mechanical design limitations. This new standard promises to be a significant advancement in embedded computing technology.
One of the significant advantages of VITA 100 is its enhanced interoperability with key components of the architecture. It is designed to be backward compatible with VPX, ensuring a seamless transition for existing systems. Furthermore, VITA 100 is compatible with advanced protocols, making it a critical component in the evolution of high-performance and rugged computing applications.
The increased density in VITA 100 supports higher data rates, with capabilities of up to 100 Gb/s. The MULTIGIG HD 2 connector used in VITA 100 doubles the pin density of current VPX connectors, providing more room for data transmission. This increased density is accompanied by a 4X speed boost, reaching speeds four times faster than the current supported data rates.
VITA 100 aims to meet the increasing demands for processing power and data-handling capabilities in modern systems. It boosts the power capacity of VPX systems to above 500 W, a 2X increase from the available power in VPX. This enhanced power capacity allows for the support of higher-performance and more power-hungry modules.
The VITA 100 working group has set five primary goals for the standard. These goals include:
- Enhanced power delivery and management to support higher-performance and more power-hungry modules.
- Improved cooling solutions to handle increased thermal dissipation for high-density computing.
- Mechanical robustness and modularity, enabling more flexible and scalable system configurations.
- Signal integrity enhancements supporting higher data rates and newer fabric technologies beyond what VPX supports.
- Greater interoperability and open standards adoption to ensure broad industry support and easier integration.
These goals collectively seek to exceed VPX’s capabilities by addressing its known constraints in power, cooling, and next-gen high-speed interconnects, thereby enabling more advanced embedded computing platforms.
Constructive collaboration is a common element of each working group, with every working group chairperson challenged with keeping all contributors in unison. The VITA 100 standard offers increased density, speed, power capacity, reliability, and interoperability, making it a significant advancement in embedded computing technology.
VITA 100 is considered a continuation of VPX with a leapfrog in technology by the VITA 100 working groups. It is incorporated into standards like SOSA and HOST, further solidifying its position as a crucial component in the future of high-performance and rugged computing applications.
All of them are under heavy pressure to produce a document that can be used to start making prototypes critical to proving out the draft standards. The VITA 100 standard is designed to perform reliably in rugged environments, making it suitable for military and aerospace applications. With its focus on power, cooling, and high-speed interconnects, VITA 100 is set to revolutionise the embedded computing industry.
Data-and-cloud-computing technologies can leverage the VITA 100 standard's advancements in embedded computing for improved data transmission and handling, especially with its increased density and higher data rates up to 100 Gb/s. The VITA 100 standard, utilizing technology such as the MULTIGIG HD 2 connector, ensures a 4X speed boost and seamless integration with existing systems through backward compatibility with VPX.
