System-on-Modules provide power and thermal management.
Press Release Summary:
Based on Intel® Pentium® M processor and 855GME chipset, Plug-N-Run G3 System-on-Modules have controls that allow OEMs to build power and thermal protection schemes for extended time-between-recharging in mobile equipment. They also aid in careful management of performance vs. dissipation in high-density systems. Controls, accessible through BIOS setup, are used to configure operating ranges and behavior at different dissipation and performance levels.
Original Press Release:
PFU Systems(TM) Enables Extensive Power and Thermal Management in its Plug-N-Run(TM) G3 System-on-Modules
Plug-N-Run G3 modules give OEMs full control over power management and thermal protection features in Intel® Pentium® M processor and Intel® 855GME chipset for power-sensitive embedded solutions.
Intel Developers Forum 2004, San Francisco, CA, February 17, 2004 - PFU Systems, Inc., manufacturer of System-on-Modules for embedded solutions, announced today a full suite of power management and thermal protection controls on its earlier announced Plug-N-Run G3 System-on-Modules based on the Intel® Pentium® M processor and Intel® 855GME chipset. This versatile suite of controls allows OEMs to build sophisticated and intelligent power management and thermal protection schemes for extended time-between-recharging in mobile equipment and for careful management of performance vs. dissipation in high-density systems.
The controls are implemented in the latest release of the BIOS that is shipping on the 1.1GHz and 1.6GHz Plug-N-Run G3 production units and will also ship with future speed grades of the Plug-N-Run G3 modules. These controls are accessible through the BIOS setup and are used to configure operating ranges and behavior at different dissipation and performance levels of the Plug-N-Run G3 modules.
"Exposing the many power management and thermal protection controls in the Intel® Pentium® M processor and the Intel® 855GME chipset on our Plug-N-Run G3 modules is important for OEMs that address the embedded market space," said Kishan Jainandunsing, vice president of marketing at PFU Systems. "In fact, these controls are used in much different ways than in non-embedded markets. For instance, where Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology allows for the control of processor core frequency and voltage to extend battery operation, which SpeedSteps [TL2are allowed is not only a function of battery life or heat dissipation, but also of how critical the performance of an application is in a certain task or mission. Also, application-specific usage patterns are associated with certain power dissipation and thermal profiles. These can be closely modeled by tuning the settings in the BIOS of the Plug-N-Run G3 to arrive at an optimal, overall design."
The BIOS setup provides control over CPU, graphics processor, memory and system I/O dissipation and performance. Latent Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology available on the Intel Pentium M processor can be selectively masked to meet a variety of criteria. For instance, quickly switching to lowest CPU core frequencies to conserve power or setting the lowest frequency at a higher SpeedStep to meet minimum soft real-time requirements. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology can be combined with dynamic CPU clock throttling to further lower the total power dissipation in very power sensitive applications.
High and low frequencies can be selected for the operation of the graphics processor core as a function of DDR SDRAM memory speeds. Lower DDR SDRAM speeds can be selected to limit current consumption and dissipation. The suite of controls also allows the graphics core integrated in the Intel 855GME chipset to be disabled for power-sensitive, deeply embedded applications. And I/O subsystems can be selectively switched off, such as LVDS transmitters, USB and IDE controllers, serial and parallel ports, LAN controller, etc.
The Plug-N-Run G3 BIOS also implements the thermal protection controls available on the Intel Pentium M processors and Intel 855GME chipset. These include the Intel® Thermal Monitor Modes to automatically protect the CPU from thermal damage. Looking forward, PFU Systems will be releasing an enhancement of the current BIOS, which will add thermal trip selections for CPU and memory and further expand power and thermal controls with memory bandwidth limit selections. An API suite will be announced as well in the near future, which will give OEMs the ability to write sophisticated, expert-system like, power management and thermal protection software for their specific applications.
"The Intel® Pentium® M processor delivers outstanding performance per watt of power in embedded applications," said Ton Steenman, general manager, Embedded Intel Architecture Division. "When combined with the Intel® 855GME chipset in System-on-Module solutions like the Plug-N-Run G3 from PFU Systems, OEMs can take advantage of the full range of product features, while reducing their time-to-market."
About PFU Systems, Inc.
PFU Systems, Inc. is a leading supplier of System-on-Module components in the embedded industry. The company is privately held and a wholly-owned subsidiary of PFU Ltd Japan, a US$840 million joint venture of Fujitsu Ltd. and Matsushita (Panasonic). PFU Systems, Inc. is dedicated to high standards of product quality, customer service and business practices. PFU Systems' global channels for products and services include direct sales, independent distributors and sales representatives. PFU Systems, Inc. is an Affiliate Member of the Intel Communications Alliance (http://intel.com/go/ica).
For further information, contact Jon Barnard, Marketing Communications Manager, jon.barnard@PFUsystems.com, tel. +1 408 236 3034. To download a complete press kit, visit the PFU Systems web site at www.PFUsystems.com.
About the Intel® Communications Alliance
The Intel® Communications Alliance is a membership-based alliance program comprised of communications and embedded developers and solution providers. Members are committed to providing a strategic supply line of standards-based solutions to the communications and embedded market segments. For more information, please visit: www.intel.com.
PFU Systems, Cell Computing, Plug-N-Run and Signature technology are trademarks of PFU Systems, Inc. Intel, Pentium and Pentium M are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation or it subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
