Reconfigurable computer Solution cuts signal-processing footprint in half

Mercury Computer Systems Inc. of Chelmsford, Mass., is offering a reconfigurable computing variant of the Mercury PowerStream 7000 multicomputer, called the PowerStream 7000 FCN (FPGA Compute Node). This device can fit as many as 69 Xilinx 7-million-gate field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) connected by a RapidIO switch fabric, enabling twice the processing performance in the same system footprint, company officials say. The reconfigurable computing option includes as many as 46 10-gigabit fiber connections directly to the FPGAs, in addition to the 320 gigabits/s of I/O available in the base configuration. With this combination of massive computing and I/O capability, the PowerStream 7000 FCN is designed to solve tough signal- and image-processing challenges in high-end intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications. The base configuration of the PowerStream 7000 system uses PowerPC 7447A processors connected by a RapidIO switch fabric. The PowerStream 7000 FCN configuration can be integrated for front-end signal processing in the same system with PowerPC processors, using PowerStream FCN boards. The FCN board has three 7-million-gate Xilinx FPGAs, each with SRAM, DRAM, a dedicated RapidIO link, and high-speed copper links both to the front panel and to the other FPGAs. Two of the FPGAs also have a 10-gigabit fiber connection to the front panel, which can be used for 10-Gigabit Ethernet. For more information contact the company online at www.mc.com.