The emerging standard PICMG COM High Performance Computing ("COM HPC") addresses the ever-increasing need for more processing power and higher I/O performance. The COM-HPC standard for high-performance computer-on-modules is just about to become ratified by the standardization organization PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group).
Preliminary information:
Differences: COM HPC compared to COM Express
COM HPC CPU modules address the demands of high performance applications. These modules support processors with significantly higher computing performance, COM HPC furthermore offers many more high-speed interfaces and support much more on-board memory.
Preliminary information:
Differences: COM HPC compared to COM Express
COM HPC CPU modules address the demands of high performance applications. These modules support processors with significantly higher computing performance, COM HPC furthermore offers many more high-speed interfaces and support much more on-board memory.
COM HPC connector
For this purpose, a completely newly developed, high-performance connector was developed from the module to the carrier board. Compared to COM Express modules, which have to make do with 440 pins to the carrier board, the COM-HPC specification provides 800 pins. This allows e.g. doubling the maximum number of PCIe lanes from 32 for COM Express Type 7 to 64 for COM-HPC / Server.
Support for PCIe 5.0
While modules according to the COM Express standard run at maximum PCIe Gen 3.0 with 8 GBit / s per lane at their Grenazen, COM-HPC modules reach over PCIe-5.0 up to 32 GBit / s per lane, which is 4 times the data rate of COM Express complies.
COM-HPC modules will therefore be used mainly in the area of performance-oriented applications, such as In areas such as Artificial Intelligence, where Deep Learning functionalities are embedded in embedded systems, further applications will be found in the 5G area or in applications where multi-dimensional data streams are processed.
Ethernet connectivity
COM-HPC modules will therefore be used mainly in the area of performance-oriented applications, such as In areas such as Artificial Intelligence, where Deep Learning functionalities are embedded in embedded systems, further applications will be found in the 5G area or in applications where multi-dimensional data streams are processed.
Ethernet connectivity
While COM-Express Type 7 modules have a maximum of 10 Gbit Ethernet per signal pair, COM HPC modules are specified for 25 Gbit Ethernet (and more). With the maximum possible eight network connections, transfer rates of 100 GBit / s (theoretically even 200 GBit / s) can be realized.
Memory
Memory
The COM-HPC standard provides up to eight DIMM banks on the module, depending on the selected module footprint.
COM HPC module formats
COM HPC provides two module classes. Within these two module classes, there are two different form factors: server modules and client modules.
COM-HPC server modules
COM-HPC / Server modules are tailored for use in edge server environments. They support generous memory capacities, a particularly powerful network connectivity. The larger COM HPC server-on modules have a footprint of 200mm x 160mm, allowing for up to 8 DIMM slots. Server modules with the smaller 160 mm x 160 mm footprint support a maximum of 4 DIMM slots.
COM HPC client modules
The COM-HPC / Client modules both support the two 120mm x 120mm and 160mm x 120mm footprint variants and are expected to be used in high-end embedded computing applications. The COM-HPC client modules do away with Ethernet connectivity in favor of high-resolution display interfaces. They offer a maximum of 2 x Gigabit Ethernet interfaces (via NBASE-T). Instead, COM-HPC / client modules have built-in video interfaces such as DDI and eDP / MIPI-DSI, which can control up to four independent high-resolution displays.
Power Requirements
COM HPC module formats
COM HPC provides two module classes. Within these two module classes, there are two different form factors: server modules and client modules.
COM-HPC server modules
COM-HPC / Server modules are tailored for use in edge server environments. They support generous memory capacities, a particularly powerful network connectivity. The larger COM HPC server-on modules have a footprint of 200mm x 160mm, allowing for up to 8 DIMM slots. Server modules with the smaller 160 mm x 160 mm footprint support a maximum of 4 DIMM slots.
COM HPC client modules
The COM-HPC / Client modules both support the two 120mm x 120mm and 160mm x 120mm footprint variants and are expected to be used in high-end embedded computing applications. The COM-HPC client modules do away with Ethernet connectivity in favor of high-resolution display interfaces. They offer a maximum of 2 x Gigabit Ethernet interfaces (via NBASE-T). Instead, COM-HPC / client modules have built-in video interfaces such as DDI and eDP / MIPI-DSI, which can control up to four independent high-resolution displays.
Power Requirements
COM HPC client modules require up to 200 watts of power. Up to 300 watts are foreseen for COM HPC server modules. For this purpose, the specification in the primary connector provides 28 power pins on each COM-HPC module.