Kontron to support the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors for unprecedented combination of power savings and performance gains

The first Kontron platforms to feature the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors will be a COM Express basic Computer-on-Module, a Flex-ATX embedded motherboard, 3U and 6U CompactPCI processor boards, a processor AMC and a 3U VPX processor board. Further board and system level platforms will follow in 2012. With this rich selection of embedded computing platforms Kontron enables OEMs to kick-start the development of a broad range of compute- and graphic-intensive applications in the industrial, communications, military, aerospace, medical and infotainment markets. As the new processors will maintain backwards-compatibility with 2nd generation Intel Core processor-based designs, they will also extend the scalability and longevity of existing Kontron board and system level solutions. Application upgrades will also benefit from increased performance.

Kontron platforms equipped with the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors will enable OEMs to build new and upgrade existing applications with enhanced processing power within the same thermal envelope compared to designs based on the 2nd generation Intel Core processors. Further advancements made possible by the latest generation of silicon technology implemented in the Kontron products will include DirectX 11 support for sophisticated graphics applications which previously required dedicated graphics cards. Kontron's latest platforms will offer support for new high-throughput interfaces such USB 3.0 to interface with off-the-shelf peripherals such as high resolution cameras without the need for dedicated I/O-Boards.

Intel's innovative 22nm 3-D Tri-Gate manufacturing process indicates that the upcoming 3rd Generation Intel Core processors will offer an unprecedented combination of power savings and also - in line with Moore's law -performance gains, says Dirk Finstel, CTO at Kontron. With our upcoming boards and modules, customers benefit from these improvements parallel to the availability of this new processor generation. In a second step, these boards and modules will also form the upper value chain of our portfolio. This includes commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and customized solutions such as industrial rackmount servers and Box-PCs as well as integrated CompactPCI and VPX platforms. The goal of these application-ready platforms is to drive customers R&D costs and time-to-market down to a minimum.

In addition to standard boards and systems, Kontron offers extensive custom design services at the board and system level to tailor these innovative processors to the unique individual application requirements. The service portfolio is rounded off by a wide range of software offerings such as standard OS and hypervisor implementations as well as migration support including validation and verification. The entire goal of these value adding services is to deliver application-ready platforms for customers so that they can concentrate on their core competences.

First Kontron products equipped with the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors will become available timed with Intel's launch of the new processors. Kontron will be available to discuss the upcoming embedded computing platforms during the Embedded World Trade Show at booth 460
(hall 1) on February 28 to March 1, 2012.