congatec – a leading provider of embedded and edge computing technology – presents new rugged SMARC modules based on the Intel Atom x7000RE processor series (codenamed Amston Lake) and the Intel Core i3 processor. Specially designed for industrial requirements, they deliver eight processor cores –which is double the previous generation – while maintaining the same power consumption. The credit-card-sized conga-SA8 modules therefore set a new performance benchmark for future-facing industrial edge computing and powerful virtualization. With conga-SA8 modules, consolidated edge computing applications in the industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C can now also benefit from increased performance and energy efficiency.  

New integrated AI capabilities accelerate the processing of deep learning inferences. Such workloads can leverage the optimized Intel AVX2 (Advanced Vector Extensions 2) and Intel VNNI (Vector Neural Network Instructions) instruction sets. As both the CPU and the integrated Intel Gen 12 UHD GPU support INT8 deep learning inference processing, graphics are processed significantly faster and object recognition is even up to 6x faster compared to previous generations. Users benefit from accelerated AI workloads which, when coupled with virtualization, can significantly boost application efficiency and productivity.