Work starts on VITA 100 embedded computing standard

The VITA trade group has several working groups for the VITA 100 next generation high performance OpenVPX embedded computing standard.

The VITA 100 working groups are currently defining a suite of standards as an evolution for OpenVPX, VPX and related mechanical standards.

This aims to double the density of current VPX connectors with the same maximum current connector length to support higher speed protocols including 100G Ethernet/lane (e.g., 100GBASE-KR1, 400GBASE-KR4) and PCIe 6.0 with an increased power capacity of 500+ Watts.

The VITA 100 working groups were formed as a result of reviewing proposals from a study group tasked to define the needs of the next generation of computing requirements for high performance embedded computing. This group selected the MULTIGIG HD connector from TE Connectivity are the core of the development, as it supports twice the pin count with 100 Gbit/s data rates, increased current capacity and support for rugged environments.

VITA says the working groups are learning the lessons from the development and implementation of VPX over the past twenty years for faster development time with robust products.

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“I am excited to be leading this evolutionary effort to leapfrog the VPX capabilities,” said Steve Devore, VITA 100 Chair and Product Architect at Leonardo DRS. “The participants in the various working groups have stepped up and are contributing valuable insight to the various VITA 100 standards. There is still a considerable amount of work ahead, but customer demands are motivating us to complete the standards and quickly transition into product development.”

“Selection as the VITA standard for our next generation MULTIGIG connector is the culmination of two years of dedicated research and development by our innovative cross-functional team,” said Michael Walmsley, senior project manager at TE Connectivity “The result is a next-generation VPX connector that will now become a defense industry standard and brings with it a foundation for future expansion.”

“VITA has a long history of developing and supporting standards for the critical embedded computing industry,” said Dean Holman, President and Executive Director, VITA. “VITA members see the need for solid standards with well-developed roadmaps, the VITA 100 working group is doing exactly that for VPX.”

Drafts of many of the auxiliary standards are being developed by the working groups. These are typically rolled out in pieces as product prototyping is completed. VITA points out that several years of prototyping typically proceeds full product rollouts and many of the VITA 100 supporters are also VPX suppliers and users.

VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation to develop standards for VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, QMC, VNX, VNX+ and the Reliability Community for embedded systems.