GE Intelligent Platforms has recently announced the FACEREF1 Software Reference Platform.
The FACEREF1 platform is designed to allow organizations developing FACE-compliant applications to take advantage of a COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) solution that is pre-configured, pre-validated and pre-tested – reducing risk, cost and time-to-market.
It provides a platform for customers to try COTS software, develop application code, and demonstrate capabilities on a rugged platform that is capable of being deployed on real airborne platforms.
The Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE™) Consortium, an Open Group Managed Consortium, is leading the development of open standards for avionics systems.
The Consortium is creating a technologically appropriate open FACE reference architecture, standards and business model that will ensure interoperability, increase portability, promote innovation and competition, bring advanced capabilities to the warfighter faster and lower implementation costs.
GE is working closely with Wind River Systems and Presagis to ensure that the two companies’ software roadmaps for FACE-compliant operating system, OpenGL and HMI tools work “out of the box” on the FACEREF1 hardware platform.
A key objective of the FACE initiative is to create an environment in which advanced, yet proven, computing technologies can be deployed to the warfighter faster and at lower cost.,
The FACEREF1 platform allows these objectives to be met by taking advantage of an off-the-shelf, high performance solution that features a high Technology Reference Level (TRL), that is ready to run, and that eliminates the time, risk and cost that would be incurred by developers creating a solution in-house.“
GE’s FACEREF1 Software Reference Platform is a complete, rugged subsystem that features GE’s SBC312 single board computer and PMCCG1 graphics PMC
The SBC312 is based on Freescal’s Power Architectur P4080 8-core processor yet has the power envelope of previous dual core systems, while the PMCCG1 features the high performance/low power S3 2300E GPU (graphics processing unit).
The interface between the CPU and GPU is via a 4-lane PCI Express to PCI-X bridge, allowing high-bandwidth connectivity between the two processors.
GE Intelligent Platforms is represented in Australia and New Zealand by Metromatics, visit us at www.metromatics.com.au