Advantech is previewing an x86 Demo CPU board capable of fully booting in 3 seconds. By using Micron Technology's SyncFlash memory, which provides flash memory with the same performance as SDRAM, Advantech engineers said they were able to bring lightning fast instant-on performance to an Advantech x86-based (NS GeodeTM GX1) single board computer running Microsoft's Windows CE OS.
Advantech's Embedded Software Solution Division (ESSD) team has been working hard on this Instant-on x86 solution for over one year. "We are very happy with the performance of the newest CPU demo board," said Isaac Hsu, ESSD product manager. "We have been reducing start-up times of all our x86 board products through a combination of hardware technology, software development, system firmware setup and application specific optimisation. This particular combination of GX1 CPU, SyncFlash memory and Windows CE OS happens to be our fastest start-up time, and we believe the industry's fastest starting x86 board to date."
Advantech has seen the growing demand for faster start-up time. Customers have many applications that require fast response, such as mission-critical military and medical, as well as gaming applications. Automotive, instrumentation and Internet appliances, and other fast recovery applications such as broadcasting, POS, POI and kiosks also benefit from minimised start-up times.
Hsu adds, "Technology such as faster CFC read rates, burst-read operation of 133 MHz for SyncFlash memory, and a BIOS ExpressLoader from National Semiconductor specifically for the GX1 CPU, certainly contribute to these gains, but showing customers smarter ways to improve performance matters greatly too. Driver support and configuration, selecting which components are loaded and which can be left out, load order, eliminating functionality not required are examples where we are adding value in our training and product development."
Micron has given flash more functionality, using a DRAM-like internal architecture. SyncFlash memory is a non-volatile memory that replaces the traditional flash or ROM typically used to store operating code. It also reduces the need for redundant DRAM because code is not duplicated in DRAM for optimal performance. Instructions are directly executed from flash.SyncFlash memory has a 64-bit data bus that supports burst-read operations at maximum speeds of 133 MHz through a four-bank architecture allowing users to update operating code without interrupting ongoing functions.
Advantech said it will soon release a standard Windows CE .NET product bundled with Micron's SyncFlash memory to allow XIP and near instant-on performance on an x86 platform.
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