Advantech selects AMD EPYCTM Embedded 7003 for COM-HPC module
Claimed to be the first COM-HPC Server-on-Module with AMD EPYCTM 7003 Embedded processors, Advantech has unveiled COM-HPC Size E Server-on-Modules (200 x 160mm). They have 64 cores to provide more than three times the number of available edge server cores compared to any other COM-HPC server module on the market, claims Advantech, to represent an “immense performance leap” for edge servers.
Typical applications for the COM-HPC benchmark module can be found in industrial-grade network technology such as VPN gateways and firewalls with high data throughput requirements of up to 100GbE. They are also suitable for fast buffer storage, telecommunications and critical edge infrastructures such as 5G base stations, complex mixed-critical industry 4.0 edge servers. Other applications can be found in the security and defence sector.
In these applications, the Server on Modules are faster and more cost efficient to develop than a dedicated server design. As a result, industrial grade server equipment providers are able to design customised platforms even for lower volume projects which are typically found in industrial applications.
“For many years, we have seen the need for customisation in the embedded computing area. The high efficiency of combining modules with custom carrier board designs is the major reason for the massive success of Computer on Modules. . . With the COM-HPC Server on Module specification, this design principle is now also available for a broad range of entry-class server processors up to the recent AMD EPYC Embedded 7003 processors,” observed PICMG president, Jess Isquith.
The massive generic PCIe Gen 4 lanes in the EPYC 7003 CPUs make them suitable for tailoring servers to dedicated tasks, added Amey Deosthali, director of product management, adaptive and embedded computing group at AMD.
In addition to up to 64 cores and multiple generic PCIe Gen 4 lanes, Advantech’s SOM-E780 also boasts the high energy efficiency engineers can have for x86 servers, reducing energy costs and enabling even passively cooled systems. Another benefit is the single socket approach, which helps to minimise licensing costs compared to any dual-socket server design. Built on AMD ‘Zen 3’ microarchitecture-based cores and the AMD Infinity Architecture, AMD EPYC 7003 series processors provide 7nm x86 CPU technology and an integrated security processor on die. They also offer up to 32Mbyte of L3 cache, four-six-eight memory channel interleaving to optimise performance in multiple DIMM configurations, and synchronised clocks between fabric and memory.
EPYC processors come with AMD Infinity Guard security features, built into the silicon and designed to defend against internal and external threats. AMD Infinity Guard includes secure encrypted virtualisation (SEV) to help safeguard VM privacy and integrity, secure nested paging (SEV-SNP) for memory integrity protection, secure memory encryption (SME) to help guard against attacks on main memory, and the AMD Shadow Stack for hardware-enforced stack protection against malware attacks.
The SOM-E780 COM-HPC Server Size E modules have a planned long term availability of at least five years.
