Jul 28, 2016 
New pinout design leverages low power, high performance processing and adds 10 GbE capabilities to industry-leading small form factor specification.
ADLINK Technology, Inc., a leading provider of embedded building blocks and Application-ready Intelligent Platforms (ARIPs) for the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and an Executive Member of PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG®), announced release of the new Type 7 pinout that is included in PICMG’s COM Express® standard update to version 3.0. The new Type 7 pinout was defined to leverage contemporary low power, server-grade silicon and introduce 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) capabilities to the computer-on-module (COM) form factor. Customer applications benefitting from the Type 7 pinout include space-constrained systems in industrial automation and data communication, such as virtualization and edge computing, that require high density CPU cores balanced by reasonable power consumption.
ADLINK has played a leading role in the PICMG subcommittee that is currently defining the new COM Express 3.0 specification. The committee, which started its work in late 2015, is chaired by ADLINK’s Jeff Munch, CTO of Americas, and benefitted from the considerable efforts of ADLINK’s team of technical contributors. The preview of the Type 7 pinout definition allows module manufacturers and customers to start designs before the full COM Express 3.0 specification is published, which is expected to be the end of Q3 2016.
“ADLINK has worked closely with fellow PICMG members to develop this latest module specification and pinout definitions to further extend the reach and usefulness of COM Express for evolving communications and automation applications,” said Alex Wang, ADLINK product manager. “The Type 7 pinout offers one more option to designers who are tasked with developing server-grade solutions that are easily upgradable and scalable and fit into compact spaces.”
The COM Express standard’s new Type 7 pinout, as compared to the Type 6 pinout, does away with all graphics support and replaces it with up to four 10GbE ports and an additional eight PCI Express (PCIe) ports, bringing the total PCIe support to up to 32 PCIe lanes. The Type 7 pinout has been specifically tailored to leverage all the functions of low power, headless server-grade System-on-Chips (SoCs) with a TDP below 65 Watts. In addition, the Type 7 pinout brings out 10GBase-KR signals, meaning the carrier board designer can choose between KR-to-KR, KR-to-optical fiber or KR-to-copper. A Network Controller Sideband Interface (NC-SI) bus is also supported, allowing for Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Board Management Controller (BMC) support on the carrier board.
“On-going updates are critical to enable full-featured designs using any open specification, particularly one as accepted in the embedded vendor community as COM Express,” said Joe Pavlat, president and chairman of the PICMG consortium. “We greatly appreciate the active participation of members like ADLINK to lead these efforts.”
The preview of PICMG’s COM Express 3.0 Type 7 pinout definition is available for download to PICMG members on the PICMG website at https://www.picmg.org/.
Founded in 1994 as the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, PICMG is a consortium of over 250 companies that collaboratively develop open specifications for high performance telecommunications, military and industrial computing applications. For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.
ADLINK Technology is enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) with innovative embedded computing solutions for edge devices, intelligent gateways and cloud services. ADLINK’s products are application-ready for industrial automation, communications, medical, defense, transportation, and infotainment industries. Our product range includes motherboards, blades, chassis, modules, and systems based on industry standard form factors, as well as an extensive line of test & measurement products and smart touch computers, displays and handhelds that support the global transition to always connected systems. Many products are Extreme Rugged, supporting extended temperature ranges, shock and vibration.
ADLINK Technology is a Premier member of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance. The company is also active in several standards organizations, including PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG), PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA), and Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies (SGeT).
ADLINK is a global company with headquarters in Taiwan and manufacturing in Taiwan and China; R&D and integration in Taiwan, China, the US, and Germany; and an extensive network of worldwide sales and support offices. ADLINK is ISO-9001, ISO-14001, ISO-13485 and TL9000 certified and is publicly traded on the TAIEX Taiwan Stock Exchange (stock code: 6166).
