April 15, 2008
DOD Wants Apps up to Speed
Despite hardware advances, complex code and heavy traffic put a drag on systems. According to some in the indusry, bloated operating systems and applications are preventing military organizations from getting sufficient speed from their information technology systems.
Government Computer News
March 12, 2008
Software Giants and Startups Tackle Lithography Complexity
Every year at the SPIE Advanced Lithography conference, the EDA sector seems to gain a little more prominence. While the bulk of the presentations still focus on tackling hardware and materials issues, there is no question software is enabling so much of the present-day advances keeping the industry on track.
Semiconductor International
March 04, 2008
Accelerating Persistent Surveillance Radar with the Cell Broadband Engine
Next-generation airborne radar-imaging systems will require increased processing capability while adhering to stringent power and energy constraints. Multicore technology addresses this requirement by providing more operations/watt than clock frequency scaling. The Cell processor, developed for the video-game industry, offers a unique architecture that can be exploited to address this need.
Embedded Technology Journal
By Jeffrey Rudin
March
2008
Computational Complexity
Single-board and mezzanine-board computers deliver expanded functionality in a reduced size. Military systems integrators are endeavoring to pack as much technology as they can on as small a device as possible.
Military & Aerospace Electronics
February
2008
Extending the Life of VME into the 21st Century: A Pragmatic View
Every designer must choose between trade-offs when considering which VME technology to use. For modern, demanding applications, however, standards bodies are conquering the challenge, and VPX and VXS play vital roles in propelling VME well into the 21st century.
VME and Critical Systems
By Anne Mascarin
February
2008
ATCA and RapidIO Meet Demanding Semiconductor Applications
The necessity for highly available platforms supporting dense and complex processing in the semiconductor industry has led to the adoption of Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) equipment for top-end control applications.
RTC
By Ian Shearer
January
2008
Rugged Electronics Empower Tomorrow’s Technology
Technology companies are enabling the military’s net-centric vision through smaller, faster, stronger rugged computers.
Military & Aerospace Electronics
January
2008
Supplier Base for VPX Embedded Computing Begins to Take Shape
The market and supplier base for VPX and VPX-REDI SBCs are beginning to emerge, and several companies are stepping forward to provide embedded computing that adheres to these standards.
Military & Aerospace Electronics
December 15, 2007
Readers Choice Tech Awards: XMC Digital Receiver Supports Multi-Board Coherency
Mercury's Echotek Series ECV4-2 family of mixed-signal PMC and XMC modules was selected as one of the top five Readers Choice Tech Awards for Boards and Modules.
ECN
December
2007
Form-Factor Choices Expand for High-Density Computing
Where once VME was the only game in town, a variety of embedded computing form-factors have emerged suited to high-density military computing needs.
COTS Journal
By Thomas Roberts
December
2007
Comparing Ethernet and RapidIO
Systems designers evaluating communications fabrics for new systems can see two attractive options in Ethernet and Serial RapidIO. Technology enthusiasts may promote one over the other but an even-handed comparison shows both have areas of relative advantage. The designer’s challenge is to evaluate these advantages in light of specific system requirements and choose the best option.
CompactPCI & AdvancedTCA Systems
By Thomas Roberts
December
2007
Software-Defined Radios: The Radios of the future
SDR is an emerging technology that promises immediate upgrades via software, bypassing the need for expensive hardware upgrades. Accordingly, when SDR's benefits are planned for early in the design process, results include improved communications life cycles, increased code portability, and reduced costs.
VME and Critical Systems
By Joshua Noseworthy
November
2007
Software Development Kits Address Challenges
The growth area in the software development kit space for many data-intensive applications will be around a movement from single-core processors to multicore processors.
Advanced Imaging
November
2007
Tech Barriers Fall for Military Satellite Networking
In support of the DoD’s lofty vision for global satellite linked networking, technology providers large and small are making advances in modem, radio and laser comms, and mobile networking solutions.
COTS Journal
October
2007
Mezzanine Cards Push Density and Speed Barries
Compute and I/O densities continue to ramp for mezzanine products — both in the tried and true PMC, and the fast ascending XMC and AMC mezzanine form-factors.
COTS Journal
September 14, 2007
High Performance 3D Image Reconstruction
Contributed article explains improved performance of high-end platforms accelerates reconstruction times and enhances image quality.
Advanced Imaging
By Dr. Marc Kachelriess, Dr. Michael Knaup, and Olivier Bockenbach
September
2007
Software Defined Radios Adapt to Change
Cover feature discusses how evolving communications technologies require systems that can support many existing and emerging standards. By implementing communication functions in software, designers can build such “future-proof” communications, called software defined radios.
ECN
By Murat Bicer
August 22, 2007
Technology Inovator Mercury Computer Systems Launches New Company Devoted to Medical Imaging
Mercury Computer Systems has launched Visage Imaging, its wholly owned subsidiary for the life sciences and medical businesses.
Medicexchange
August 09, 2007
Mercury Computer Systems Helps Forest Service Map Wildfire
Mercury Computer Systems as been selected by the Remote Sensing Applications Center of the USDA Forest Service to support wildfire monitoring and forest mapping projects in 2007 with the VistaNav-SSR Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).
Geospatial Solutions
August 03, 2007
Mercury Leverages PS3 Cell For Multi-Use SDK
Mercury announced the release of a new software development kit designed to leverage the PlayStation 3's Cell processor order to provide users with low-cost, high-speed computing.
Gamasutra
August 03, 2007
SDK Aims Playstation3 Clusters at HPC Apps
Mercury Computer Systems has ported its multi-core software development kit (SDK) to Sony's Playstation3 gaming console. The company said its "MultiCore Plus SDK for PS3 -- Base Package" lets developers exploit the PS3's powerful Cell processor for general-purpose, low-cost, high-performance computing (HPC) applications.
LinuxDevices.com
August 02, 2007
New Life for Aerial Sensor
Reflecting its continuing need for updated airborne electronic surveillance capabilities, the Army is moving ahead again on its previously cancelled Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program.
Military Information Technology
July 26, 2007
Interview with Craig Lund, VP and CTO, Mercury Computer Systems
Each week, SCIENCE AND SOCIETY presents interviews with trendsetting and groundbreaking researchers, industry-leading executives, and senior government officials, providing in-depth coverage of our core areas. Mercury's CTO Craig Lund talks about the applications and markets Mercury serves, its relationship with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and multicore processing.
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
July
2007
High Performance 3D Image Reconstruction Platforms
Tomographic image reconstruction is computationally very demanding and the backprojection represents the performance bottleneck. In the past DSPs have been used. More recently, attempts have also been made to use graphic processing units and the Cell Broadband Engine processor.
Boards & Solutions
By Prof. Dr. Marc Kachelrieß, Institute of Medical Physics (IMP), University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and Olivier Bockenbach
July
2007
Flex Your Data - Integrated PACS and Thin Clients Help Hospitals Build a True 2D/3D Infrastructure
High-resolution tomographic scanners and other 3D and image-fusion technologies provide a number of compelling advantages for diagnostic medical imaging. However, 3D data acquisition modalities such as CT and MR create ever-larger volumes of data, increasing the need for faster and larger servers, higher network bandwidth, workstations with large memory and fast graphics, and advanced diagnostic software.
Imaging Economics
By Keith Dreyer, MD, PhD, and Hartmut Schirmacher, PhD
June 10, 2007
PA Semi Finds a Friend in Mercury
Ultra-fancy chip start-up PA Semi today revealed a rather predictable customer - Mercury Computer Systems.
The Register
May 29, 2007
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The amount of data that must be mined during oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) is enormous.3D visualization has been the key to increased success and efficiency in many areas of E&P.
Advanced Imaging
May
2007
Multicomputer Programming, Cell BE Processor Boost Signal Processing
The high performance levels of multicore processing, combined with multicomputer programming techniques, are delivering the computationally intensive signal processing required in many defense electronics systems.
COTS Journal
By Thomas Roberts
May
2007
Temperature’s Rising: Designers Face Myriad Options to Cool Electronic Systems
Never-ending demands for more electronic and electro-optic systems capability mean military and aerospace systems guzzle more electric power, and that means steadily increasing heat that engineers must get rid of-somehow. Today’s choices include convection-, conduction-, and liquid-cooling options, and tomorrow’s choices will be more complex.
Military & Aerospace Electronics
April
2007
Hurdles Behind it, VPX Hits Its Stride
With VPX now gaining momentum, the debate over next-generation VME has shifted. With VPX/VPX REDI closer to reality, the role of VXS as a “here now” alternative is in question.
COTS Journal
March
2007
Examine PACS: Widening the Advantage
High-resolution tomographic scanners provide a number of compelling advantages for diagnostic 3-D medical imaging. The latest 3-D modalities, such as CT and MR, are creating ever-larger volumes of data, increasing the need for faster and bigger servers, higher network bandwidth, workstations with large memory and fast graphics and advanced diagnostic software.
RT-Image
March
2007
Improved Detection with Digital Breast Tomosynthesis
Harnessing graphics processing power yields major cancer screening advance, next-generation programming architecture. The Breast Imaging Division in the Department of Radiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has been instrumental in helping bring new screening approaches to the field. The MGH Breast Imaging Division implemented a new technique called Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT). To make DBT practical, MGH turned to Mercury and NVIDIA.
Scientific Computing
February
2007
Solving Extreme FPGA High-Density Computing with AdvancedTCA
A new initiative authorized by the FCC teams satellites with earth-bound communications systems to significantly improve coverage and capacity for voice and data communications. The key technology to enable this coexistence is antenna beam forming. Mercury leveraged AdvancedTCA to enable a high-speed communications infrastructure – one that delivers the massive computing requirements that make this ground-based beam former a reality.
CompactPCI & AdvancedTCA Systems
By Greg Tiedemann
February
2007
Open-Standard Multicomputers Address Next-Generation Multi-Function Radar Applications
Next-generation radar applications will drive performance demands that will have architectural implications for radar computing and electronics. The performance and ruggedization requirements make it challenging to service multi-function radar (MFR) applications using yesterday's COTS technologies. COTS solutions based on open standards are now meeting these requirements.
Defense Tech Briefs
By James Meyer