BAE Systems and IDT develop new space-grade chip to speed and increase data movement in space

BAE Systems of Arlington, VA and San Jose, CA-based Integrated Device Technology, Inc.® (IDT) announced on October 21 a new technology for space applications that will transfer greater volumes of data at higher speeds than ever before possible during space missions. BAE Systems’ new space-grade microchip, known as the RADNET1848-PS space-grade RapidIO switch, will use the market’s first RapidIO interconnect to speed massive amounts of data through a network of radiation-hardened computer systems in outer space.

“With more complex sensors being introduced into space missions, BAE Systems recognized the need to develop microchips that can handle the related increase in larger-volume data transfer, and with IDT’s technology, we have accomplished that goal,” said Ian McDonald, director of Space Products and Processing at BAE Systems. “These types of advances will provide the mission critical, high performance networking connectivity necessary for the next generations of high performance space systems for military, commercial, and civil applications – and possibly even high energy physics systems.”

BAE Systems selected IDT’s 240 Gbps CPS-1848 RapidIO switch as the foundation for its RADNET1848-PS product. IDT’s RapidIO chip, used to connect computer system components, delivers high reliability at ultra-high speeds. It delivers superior performance per watt, low latency and deterministic packet delivery to enable reliable, fault-tolerant systems. These space-grade solutions are resilient to — and can work within — the ionizing/radiation-intensive environments of space. BAE Systems’ new rad-hard RapidIO switch is now available for sale to the space and military communities.

BAE Systems and IDT have been working with other leading technology companies to develop products for use in space. With the new RADNET1848-PS space-grade RapidIO switch, system architectures can now build upon this new backbone data interconnect. The concept of the new RapidIO switch began in 2012, when the selection team of the Next Generation Space Interconnect Standard (NGSIS) chose the RapidIO protocol as the technology of choice for digital data transport, selecting it over Ethernet, Infiniband and PCIe interconnect. The NGSIS, a government-industry collaboration, had been charged with defining a set of standards for interconnects between space system components. The standards, collectively known as SpaceVPX, are intended to promote interoperability so that users can cost effectively develop computer systems for use in space.

“Our RapidIO technology was recently adopted by CERN to help researchers explore the mysteries of the universe, and now it’s headed to space itself,” said Sean Fan, vice president and general manager of IDT’s Interface and Connectivity Division. “As the capabilities and benefits of RapidIO are increasingly recognized, its role in high-volume Earth-based applications—such as wireless communications and Big Data analytics—will only continue to grow.”

Source: IDT