Commercial graphics processors define next-gen

[Mister Frag 0]

From http://www.ebnews.com

Commercial graphics processors define next-gen military systems

Custom ASICs lose ground to off-the-shelf ICs

Jack Robertson

EBN

(10/14/2002 1:44 PM EST)

Aerospace and defense contractors have engaged in a wholesale switch from custom ASICs to commercial graphics processors to drive the visual content of their advanced avionics and military display systems.

Graphics manufacturers and market analysts alike claim that the move to off-the-shelf chips and cards is yielding vastly higher performance than proprietary ASICs, and in addition results in faster design turnaround, lower cost, and a more reliable long-term supply.

ATI Technologies Inc., Nvidia Corp., and 3DLabs Inc. are selling their commercial PC graphics parts to the military, although volumes are relatively small. Even so, graphics designers say the use of their products in such high-profile, demanding applications provides a hidden benefit by showcasing the processors and cards for other new markets.

Neil Trevett, senior vice president of market development at 3DLabs, Milpitas, Calif., said aerospace/defense accounts for less than 5% of the company's total processor sales, but has a greater advantage "as a proving ground for moving into other new markets.

"We see this as a beachhead into such other applications as automotive, industrial, and medical uses," said Trevett, whose company was acquired in May by Singapore's Creative Technology Ltd.

Analysts said the use of commercial graphics chips by defense firms has been spiraling upward. Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research, Tiburon, Calif., said that starting from a small base several years ago, a million commercial graphics processors are now sold into this niche market annually. Peddie estimated that sales have been growing at 7% a year.

The bulk of commercial graphics are used in avionics cockpit or military vehicle displays or in simulator and training systems. Processors include the 3Dlabs GlintGMX, the Nvidia Mobile Quatro, and ATI's Radeon 8500, among others.

While 3DLabs and ATI sell directly to military contractors, Nvidia's processors and cards are sold exclusively through a third party, Quantum3D Inc., San Jose.

Design changes

In addition to cost and performance gains, the advent of commercial graphics in the aerospace/defense market has caused fundamental changes in system design, according to observers.

Where simulation system design was once undertaken as monolithic projects, the flexibility and immediate availability of off-the-shelf graphics has enabled developers to take a more modular approach to building their imaging systems.

Michael Arrington, an analyst at Acacia Research Group, Pleasanton, Calif., said big simulators now have been replaced by multiple projectors, each driven by high-performance, realistic 3D graphics.

Trevett said chips like those produced by 3DLabs have also enabled military training systems to be reduced in size, with units designed for individual combat troops now looking much like ruggedized notebook PCs.

Tom McAfee, embedded systems sales manager at Quantum3D, said graphics processors for the mobile PC market also have a special application when it comes to avionics and vehicle displays.

"Notebook graphics chips are low power and smaller form factor, with wide temperature ranges-all rigorous requirements of the military market," McAfee said.

In fact, commercially available mobile chips meet the MIL-spec temperature requirements of many defense applications, said Andrew Schmied, senior manager of business development at ATI, Toronto.

"There's a great similarity between the graphics requirements for notebooks and in the military market," Schmied said. "We already have [commercial] chips that can be utilized."

Long-lasting parts

Graphics suppliers are also tackling another perennial military concern-the necessity of having parts available over the lifetime of defense systems, which can extend to 20 years or more. This becomes a major challenge when commercial PC graphics processors routinely have lifetimes measured only in months.

"Well before we near the end-of-manufacturing life of a processor, we approach customers to get their total supply forecast needs," 3DLabs' Trevett said. "We aggregate for all customers and then build enough buffer stock to meet all requirements."

Graphics-IC distributors agreed that the issue is being taken seriously. When design house 3Dfx ceased operating, for example, Quantum3D acquired the total remaining inventory of processors and has "enough supply on hand to meet all the future needs of major military customers," McAfee said.

Quantum3D said it also works with Nvidia to sell PCI mezzanine graphics cards that can be easily replaced with upgraded cards. "Nvidia has a unified driver architecture that is backwardly compatible with earlier generations," McAfee said. "Thus, the same applications can be run on any new card."

Graphics hardware designers and military contractors are also working to get an OpenGL software standard optimized for this market. Trevett said that historically, many aerospace/defense applications have been running their own subset of OpenGL, leading to a fragmentation of software.

The industry is now drafting an OpenGL-ES (embedded system) standard for military systems, with the first version expected to be completed by the end of the year.

[ralphwiggum 6]

that was long

but anyhow, once again, private sector does good job than public sector.

[Papageorge 0]

Lmao, sweet post man ... And about military use of Games... OFP to be on topic, anyone know who uses it? I know USMC does, but anyone know what squadron/s?

[Mister Frag 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Papageorge @ Oct. 16 2002,12:04)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Lmao, sweet post man ... And about military use of Games... OFP to be on topic, anyone know who uses it? I know USMC does, but anyone know what squadron/s?<span id='postcolor'>

I'm not sure that the USMC has started to use VBS1 yet, I think it is still under development.

[Papageorge 0]

I just figured we were using it by now since I read the articles ages ago and some of the "newer" ones talk about them using it. I'll have to spread word around the office and see if any of my Devil Dogs know any thing. Thanks Frag