Mercury Systems, Inc. announced the new FIOVU-2180 and CIO10-2080 6U OpenVPX™ avionics modules, the first safety-certifiable multicore modules on the market to incorporate the latest Intel® Xeon® D-1700 processors (former code name Ice Lake D). Power-efficient, rugged and reliable, the new avionics modules deliver processing performance 2 to 3x that of previous generations and are ideally suited for mission-critical applications such as flight computing, platform management and artificial intelligence (AI).

Why It Matters:

Unlocking the power of AI and machine learning through the combined innovation of Mercury and Intel, pilots benefit from more accurate situational awareness, while military and urban air mobility aircraft are made safer and more capable.

“Developers and system integrators require safe, reliable and scalable modules and systems with the most advanced technology to flawlessly manage, process and connect sensor data across platforms and domains,” said Jay Abendroth, vice president and general manager, Mercury Mission. “By using our first-to-market, purpose-built, safety-critical 6U modules with the newest Intel processors and Wind Rivers’ VxWorks software, they can accelerate development of data-intensive airborne applications and lower operational risk, saving time and money.”

Built with the latest commercial technology and proven BuiltSAFE™ elements:

• Intel Xeon D-1700 processors for increased performance and improved signaling
• Dual Xilinx Virtex® UltraScale+™ XCVU9P FPGAs to support real-time algorithms
• Dynamically reconfigurable FPGA framework to simplify and speed FPGA programming
• PCIe 3.0 interconnects and integrated 40 Gb/S Ethernet to accelerate high bandwidth applications
• Board support packages for Wind River VxWorks™ to achieve FAA CAST-32A objectives.

“Next-generation avionics applications require powerful AI and real-time capabilities,” said Avijit Sinha, chief product officer, Wind River. “Wind River Studio’s VxWorks and Helix™ Virtualization Platform enable high-speed processing and low-latency deterministic computing that is vital for high-risk scenarios that demand quick decisions. By working with Mercury, we can help customers meet evolving market needs and accelerate their time to market with flight-ready, secure and certified solutions.”

The new modules feature BuiltSAFE proven, modular, commercial-off-the-shelf elements complete with hardware and software DO-254 and DO-178 artifacts to deliver smooth performance and streamline system development, integration and deployment. Mercury’s BuiltSAFE solutions have been designed, tested, certified and fielded over three decades on multiple safety-critical platforms.