Development started on the Mercury + XU9

Enclustra has begun work on the development of a new Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC module. The Mercury+ XU9 is designed for extremely high memory bandwidths and large data volumes. Thanks to the two 64-bit DDR4 SDRAM banks (PS & PL), the module achieves memory bandwidths of up to 40.5 Gbps. Twenty MGTs with transfer rates of up to 15 Gbps ensure the rapid transfer of data to and from the module.

In addition to 6 ARM® cores, the 74 × 54 mm modules feature a Mali 400MP2 GPU, 16 GB eMMC flash memory, USB 3.0 and 178 user I/Os. The EV variants of the Mercury+ XU9 also come equipped with a H.264/H.265 video codec.

Future-proof thanks to the modular approach

The modular approach taken by Enclustra in its FPGA and SoC modules demonstrated its advantages two-fold in a customer project – firstly, through an extremely short development time, and secondly, through the development of an application-specific base board that can also be used by the customer in future projects.

The base board for a Mercury+ XU8 module features the standard ports, such as 2x Gigabit Ethernet, 2x USB 3.0 and 1 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet, as well as the option of connecting four SSDs (2x SATA, 2x PCIe NVMe). In parallel to this, Enclustra has developed an additional card that can be plugged into the base board, featuring two space-rated Texas Instruments multi-gigabit transceivers, as well as SFP+ and LVDS I/Os. Although the additional card is a project-specific development, the base board will also be used in other customer projects.

In the next phase, Enclustra will develop the FPGA firmware and the embedded software, which will likewise be modularly divided into general infrastructure and application-specific functionality.

Linux Build Environment updated

The Enclustra Linux Build Environment (EBE) is a free tool which can be used to create the Linux Board Support Package (BSP) for all Enclustra SoC modules at the touch of a button. To do this, only the target module and a base board need be selected. Once this step has been completed, the tool generates all the binary files necessary in a fully automatic process. The latest version of the EBE now also supports the Enclustra Mercury XU5 Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC module. What’s more, Kernel (Linux 4.14/4.15), U-Boot and Buildroot have also been updated. It takes just two clicks to get your hands on the latest version including the changelog: Enclustra Linux Build Environment.

FPGA Manager supports PCIe Gen3 & UltraScale+

Enclustra is continuously developing its IP cores to support both new technologies such as PCIe Gen3 as well as new modules such as the Xilinx UltraScale+ series. Every license holder of the relevant options with active maintenance will of course be able to benefit from the updates and improvements at no extra cost.

The next FPGA Manager release will now support PCIe Gen3 for Xilinx UltraScale+ modules and achieve data transfer rates of over 3 GByte/sec (Gen3 x4). The new release also contains numerous optimized and improved features. From now on, the API library will also be supplied as a NuGet package, which will make integration and updating significantly easier. Have you tried this out yet?

A focus on quality

Enclustra is continuously optimizing all its processes and products to ensure that you, our customers, gain an advantage over your competitors.

In connection with this, Enclustra has decided to reinforce its team in the form of Kim Nicolas Naef. Following his appointment as Quality Manager, the Zurich-based company can now count a recognized expert for process-optimization, validation and outsourcing projects among its ranks. Owing to his extensive professional experience in hardware development, the management of a repairs business, sales as well as in electronics manufacturing in the closely related embedded computing industry, Kim Nicolas Naef brings an excellent understanding of the Enclustra business areas in which the company is looking to receive certification.