Monthly Archives: March 2025

Designed for next-generation edge and telecommunications infrastructure, the new standard’s architecture addresses quantum computing, 6G connectivity, and high-density AI workloads.

Wakefield, MA. March 11, 2025. PICMG — a leading consortium developing innovative open standards for embedded computing — has officially ratified the 400G AdvancedTCA (ATCA) modular computing standard. Developed collaboratively by industry leaders including Comtel, TE Connectivity, and Vodatech, the new standard is built to meet the escalating demands of sophisticated edge, AI, and quantum deployment.

According to Alexei Volkov, CTO at Comtel and PICMG Working Group Chair, this release bridges the gap between cloud-scale virtualization and edge physical layer requirements while at the same time demonstrating the standard’s enduring versatility. It improves upon previous generations in several ways:

• 400G Backplane Connectivity: While older generations were capped at 25Gbps, TE Connectivity EZD++ connectors support 32Gbps/ch via PAM-4, a significant increase in bandwidth.
• Streamlined Compliance: Rather than relying on physical test cards, 400G ACTA introduces S-parameter modeling, enabling virtual validation of signal integrity across worst-case backplane/card combinations.
• Enhanced Thermal Management: Validated 1kW+ liquid cooling supports deployment in coastal RF sites and desert environments, something challenging with comparatively limited 650W/slot air cooling.
• Full Backwards Compatibility: Mechanically identical connectors ensure full backwards compatibility with all PICMG 3.1-3.7 specifications.
• Increased Power Density: The new standard features dual-slot blade, with 800W/slot for Xilinx Versal HBM. It also supports 32-port 400G blades with Xilinx Versal HBM FPGAs.

ACTA platforms have long played a critical role in telecommunications infrastructure, with industry leaders such as Nokia extensively utilizing the technology. He expects the company will benefit considerably from 400G ACTA’s improvements, especially if integrating it with Open RAN technology. He was also quick to note that ACTA’s relevance extends far beyond telecommunications.

“Around 80% of our use cases for ACTA are now outside the telecom space,” Volkov explained. “We now have projects like quantum computing equipment for the defense sector, radio telescope control at the Atacama Observatory, and semiconductor equipment for leading EU foundries. This is a significant shift, and one we expect to continue with the release of 400G ACTA.”

“ACTA’s modular architecture is also used extensively in edge security,” he added. “Fortinet’s terabit firewall systems, for example, rely heavily on the technology.”

Specification documents for 400G ACTA will be made available to PICMG members this month, and TE Connectivity plans to release compliance test suites in Q2 2025. ANSYSS HFSS capability has also been confirmed, with a developer workshop scheduled from June 15-17 in Berlin for training. A second workshop will take place in San Diego from July 22-24.

“This isn’t just about speed,” said Volkov. “It’s about preserving over 25 years of ACTA ecosystem investment while also meeting quantum computing and 6G timing requirements. Our field deployments from Chilean deserts to German clean rooms prove modular architectures outlast conventional servers in critical infrastructure.”

The first compliant 400G ACTA systems are expected to ship in Q4 2025. PICMG also has several additional specification updates planned for 2026, including Redfish management integration, SOSA-aligned configuration, and additional edge-to-core orchestration capabilities.

About PICMG
Founded in 1994, PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group) is a nonprofit consortium of companies and organizations that collaboratively develop open standards for high performance telecommunications, military, industrial, and general purpose embedded computing applications. Its original mission was to extend the PCI standard to non-desktop applications. There are over 140 member companies that specialize in a wide range of technical disciplines, including mechanical and thermal design, single board computer design, very high speed signaling design and analysis, networking expertise, backplane and packaging design, power management, High Availability software, and comprehensive system management. Equipment built to PICMG standards is used worldwide and anyone can build or use equipment without restriction (although certain technologies used for some military applications may be subject to U.S. export restrictions governed by ITAR rules). Key standards families developed by PICMG include ®, AdvancedTCA®, MicroTCA®, AdvancedMC®, CompactPCI® Serial, COM Express®, SHB Express®, MicroSAM, COM-HPC. and HPM (Hardware Platform Management).

With Release 3 of the CompactPCI Serial specification, PICMG doubles the bandwidth and speed of CompactPCI Serial applications. This benefits sectors such as aerospace, industry and automotive.

Wakefield, MA. March 11, 2025. PICMG – a leading consortium to develop innovative open standards in embedded computing – today announces the release of CompactPCI Serial^® Revision 3 (CPCI-S.0 R3.0). With the third revision of the standard, the organization is ensuring future viability and scalability for many years to come. CompactPCI Serial^® was originally developed as an extension of the open CompactPCI^® standard to meet the demand for robust, modular and powerful computer systems in industrial and embedded applications. The combination of high performance, modularity and robustness has made CompactPCI Serial^® a popular standard for industrial applications, automation, and much more – where robustness, interoperability and use in harsh environments with comprehensive connectivity are crucial.

CompactPCI supports serial data transfer rates via PCI Express, USB, and Ethernet, a robust design with AirMax connectors and full interchangeability with CompactPCI cards via 3U/6U slot card systems. Developers can look forward to the completely new opportunities offered by revision 3 compared to revision 2, which are among others:

• Full PCI Express (PCIe) support: While R2 supported PCI Express up to Gen3 with 8 GT/s, R3 extends support to PCI Express Gen4 with 16 GT/s, which means increasing speed by doubling the data rate.
• USB support: USB interface support has been increased from USB 3.0 (Gen1) with 5 Gb/s in R2 to USB 3.1 (Gen2) with 10 Gb/s in R3, doubling the bandwidth.
• Ethernet: R3 introduces support for 10GBASE-T and 10GBASE-KR Ethernet, enabling higher bandwidth network speeds.
• Connectors: In order to realize these higher data rates, new AirMax VSe^® high-speed connectors for CPU boards are used in R3 instead of AirMax VS^® in Release 2. These connectors are fully upwards and downwards compatible.

“I am very proud that with Revision 3 of the specification, we have managed to provide all embedded integrators with better CompactPCI Serial performance. Developers can look forward to better connectivity, higher performance and much better scalability,” said Jess Isquith, President of PICMG.

The CompactPCI specification defines a modular computer system, consisting of a backplane, a system slot, and up to 24 peripheral boards. The mechanical design is fully backward compatible to CompactPCI^® and will interoperate with existing systems. A system slot board can be used in a peripheral slot as well to do multiprocessing. The easiest way to communicate in this case is via Ethernet. Ethernet uses cable standards ‘xxBase-T’ instead of dedicated backplane standards. This lowers the cost, guarantees better interoperability and offers currently up to 10 Gb/s data throughput. Plus, implementation of the Ethernet connection of a system board can be done with a mezzanine board (3U or 6U). Due to this concept, more flexibility will be achieved, because the usage of Ethernet does not depend on the system board itself.

CompactPCI Serial can be combined with existing CompactPCI boards by using a CompactPCI PlusIO system slot card. These hybrid systems offer an ideal migration path from parallel to serial connections. CompactPCI Serial for Space specifically addresses the extreme environment requirements for outer space. Developers who want to build applications for harsh environments in industry, aviation or more can now download the new specification from the PICMG website and start designing immediately. PICMG member companies are also already working on their first products based on the new specification. The release of revision 4 is even in preparation.

PICMG at embedded world:

Hall 5, booth 320A

Additional material can be found here: https://www.picmg.org/openstandards/compactpci-serial/

Revision 3 of CompactPCI Serial can be downloaded here:

https://www.picmg.org/product/compactpciserial-specification-r3/

About PICMG

Founded in 1994, PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group) is a nonprofit consortium of companies and organizations that collaboratively develop open standards for high performance telecommunications, military, industrial, and general purpose embedded computing applications. Its original mission was to extend the PCI standard to non-desktop applications. There are over 140 member companies that specialize in a wide range of technical disciplines, including mechanical and thermal design, single board computer design, very high speed signaling design and analysis, networking expertise, backplane and packaging design, power management, High Availability software, and comprehensive system management. Equipment built to PICMG standards is used worldwide and anyone can build or use equipment without restriction (although certain technologies used for some military applications may be subject to U.S. export restrictions governed by ITAR rules). Key standards families developed by PICMG include CompactPCI®, AdvancedTCA®, MicroTCA®, AdvancedMC®, CompactPCI® Serial, COM Express®, SHB Express®, MicroSAM, COM-HPC. and HPM (Hardware Platform Management).

Tria Technologies, an Avnet company specializing in embedded compute boards, is launching five new product families powered by Qualcomm Dragonwing and Snapdragon platforms at its Embedded World debut. Tria is a leading module vendor with the largest SMARC portfolio in the market, and this announcement strengthens their technology portfolio with new embedded modules.

“We are very excited about our relationship with Qualcomm Technologies and showcasing our new modules, which are applicable to a wide range of low- to high-end applications,” said Daniel Denzler, Senior Director, Business Line Management for Boards and Systems, Tria Technologies. “This new module family based on Dragonwing platforms enables us to address virtually any requirement, conserving power, upgrading performance and delivering AI capabilities for use in challenging environments, across a range of module standards.”

“Dragonwing processors are designed to provide high-performance, low-power edge computing and on-device AI, enabling industries to achieve new heights of innovation and efficiency,” said Douglas Benitez, Senior Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Europe, Inc. “We are excited to see how Tria’s new embedded modules will empower industrial customers to push the boundaries of what is possible with AI.”

The technologies offer powerful computing, power efficiency, making them ideal for the new generation of IoT devices. The enhanced AI performance opens new markets for AI deployment at the edge.

The Tria products demonstrated in the Qualcomm Technologies area of Tria’s stand at Embedded World 2025 will include:

· Tria IQ-9075 Vision AI-KIT powered by the Dragonwing IQ-9075 Processor

· Tria SMARC QCS6490 powered by the Dragonwing QCS6490 Processor

· Tria SMARC QCS5430 powered by the Dragonwing QCS5430 Processor

· Tria IQ-615 (OSM and SMARC) powered by the Dragonwing IQ-615 Processor

· Snapdragon X Elite (Com Express and Com HPC) powered by the Snapdragon X Elite Platform

One of several advantages of Tria’s new modules is that they are designed and manufactured in Germany.

Ongoing demonstrations of the new modules and more can be found on an area of Tria’s booth (Hall 3A Booth 225) dedicated to Qualcomm Technologies during Embedded World from 11–13 March 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany.