German embedded computing company Congatec is expanding its portfolio of computers-on-module (CoMs) with variants for use in AI-intensive applications including industrial automation, robotics, medical and retail point-of-sale.

They are built around Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and include variants for the extended industrial temperature range of -40 to +85˚C and with up to 180Tops of energy-efficient embedded computing performance.

The CoMs can be deployed in environments characterised by extreme temperature fluctuations, weather exposure, vibrations or continuously demanding operating conditions. For extended ruggedness, Congatec offers customisation services for value-adds including conformal coating, special component selection or burn-in tests.

Like the conventional variants, the rugged derivatives also offer up to 16 CPU cores with up to 10Tops and an integrated NPU5 for low-power AI inference with up to 50Tops. Additionally, they feature up to four Xe3 cores for optimised GPGPU AI performance. Developers thus receive a scalable platform for high-performance embedded and edge systems that combines local AI processing, sensor fusion, automation functions and safety-critical workloads directly at the point of deployment with a high degree of ruggedness and energy efficiency.

The modules therefore address applications that must be designed to be particularly reliable, rugged and available over the long term. Key applications include mission computers for autonomous or heavy-duty vehicles, along with outdoor edge systems for smart cities, energy and renewable sectors, wayside infrastructure, and railway applications.

For new designs requiring the highest data-throughput with PCIe Gen 5 and USB4, the CoM-HPC Mini Conga-HPC/mPTL and CoM-HPC Client Conga-HPC/cPTL modules deliver extreme performance and IO bandwidth. For all existing Com Express Type 10-based mission-critical applications, the credit-card sized Conga-MC1000 is a suitable upgrade. The Conga-TC1000 Com Express Compact module targets legacy cost-sensitive systems in need of technology refresh, and the ruggedised Conga-TC1000r with screw-locked LPCAMM2 memory is aimed at rugged applications. 

Supported operating systems include Microsoft Windows 11, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, CtrlX OS, Ubuntu Pro, KontronOS, Linux and Yocto. They can be pre-configured with licensed CtrlX OS, Ubuntu Pro and KontronOS. The aReady.VT option with integrated Conga-Zones hypervisor and virtualisation technologies allows developers to consolidate multiple workloads, such as real-time control, HMI, AI and IoT gateway functions on a single module.

For IoT connectivity, Congatec (www.congatec.com) offers its aReady.IoT software building blocks with Conga-Connect to enable data exchange, maintenance and management of the module, carrier, and peripherals, as well as cloud connectivity on request.

To simplify application development, the ecosystem includes evaluation and production-ready carrier boards, cooling options, documentation, design-in services and high-speed signal integrity measurements.

OEMS can leverage Congatec’s customisation design and software integration services to receive near turnkey embedded computing platforms complete with cooling.