The Ever-Shrinking World of Small-Form-Factor Embedded Computing

Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine Article Link

Aneesh Kothari, vice president of marketing at Systel Inc. in Sugar Land, Texas, says AI and other technologies are driving performance demands even from SFF systems.

“With the proliferation in platform sensor integration, data collection, and immediate-future technologies involving AI and autonomy, customers require data center performance at the edge,” Kothari says. “Additionally, there is a significant need for reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP). Systel is meeting these demands by providing high-performance, fully rugged embedded edge computers, purpose-built for deployment in austere environments.”

Systel’s Kothari agrees that thermal management can be a challenge when it comes to embedded computers.

“From a backplane and chassis perspective, this means that the faster and hotter baords require more heat dissipation. Also, the backplanes are increasing in speed to 40 Gigabit Ethernet, PCIe Gen4/5, and 100 Gigabit Ethernet levels. Systel utilizes proven thermal design board and chassis-level cooling methods to effectively and efficiently manage heat dissipation,” Kothari says. “Systel’s small form factor embedded computers can easily approach 200 Watts, all in a super dense, fully sealed system. Thermal management is of paramount importance, especially with system operating temperature ratings of up to +71 C.”