The Intel® AtomTM Industrial Reference Platform from GE-Research (shown in Figure 1) includes technology from Intel and Altera, offering a highly scalable and re-configurable development platform targeted at low-power, high-performance industrial automation applications:
- Medium-to-high complexity PLCs requiring low power, high performance, and compact form factor
- Human machine interfaces (HMIs) and Panel PCs
- High-performance slave systems
- PLC-based drive systems
- High-performance industrial systems such as image processing
Figure 1. Intel Atom Industrial Reference Platform Featuring the Intel Atom Processor and Altera Arria Series FPGA
Photo Courtesy: MSC/GE-Research
The flexibility of the Industrial Reference Platform also makes this system a potential platform for military, automotive, and consumer applications requiring the scalable processor performance of the Intel Atom and the re-programmability of Altera® Arria® series FPGAs.
Platform Advantages
The Intel Atom Industrial Reference Platform provides several key advantages:
- Design with low-power, high-performance, low-cost Intel Atom processors that interface directly to Altera transceiver-based FPGAs across a PCI Express interconnect (supported by a robust third-party ecosystem for operating systems, intellectual property (IP), and development tools).
- Take advantage of Altera transceiver-based FPGAs, which provide I/O flexibility with the ability to add different I/O features on the same platform.
- Reduce your total cost of ownership through the use of a standards-based, open platform to facilitate updates in the field and migrate IP to next-generation FPGAs.
- Upgrade I/O hardware/real-time software without changing the host processor hardware/software, or upgrade the system processor and retain the same I/O system features/performance without re-engineering.
- Intel Atom processors and Altera FPGAs and IP have long lifetimes and are scalable to future architectures.
Figure 2 shows the base board with an Arria GX FPGA.
Figure 2. Base Board with Altera Arria Series FPGA
Photo Courtesy: MSC/GE-Research
Figure 3 shows a block diagram of system features for the Industrial Reference Platform.
Figure 3. Industrial Reference Platform Block Diagram
Photo Courtesy: MSC/GE-Research
For more information on the Industrial Reference Platform, see a detailed list of features and specifications and an application example.
Pricing and Availability
Production units of the Intel Atom Industrial Reference Platform are available from GE-Research.
Related Links
- Industrial Reference Platform Features and Specifications
- Industrial Reference Platform Application Example
- Industrial Reference Platform (Intel)
- Industrial Reference Platform (Europe)
- Intel Atom Processor
- Industrial Networking
- Altera Industrial Solutions Partners
- Altera Quartus® II Design Software
Intel and Atom are trademarks of Intel Corporation.
