The rugged edge computing landscape is becoming increasingly complex with new generations of technologies, such as the latest AI focused GPUs, releasing annually rather than every 2-3 years. Whether the end application is commercial or defense, rugged edge servers must not only deliver cutting-edge compute performance but also withstand extreme environmental conditions.

When the PCI-SIG formally added support for 675W add-in card devices in the PCI Express Card Electromechanical (CEM) specification in August 2023, NVIDIA’s most powerful CEM GPU, the NVIDIA H100 80GB had a maximum power consumption of 350W.  While some devices were starting to push the limits of datacenter thermodynamics – high density systems of many 675W devices seemed like a distant reality.  However, with power constraints uncapped and the need for higher performing GPUs skyrocketing, the industry quickly came out with devices taking full advantage of the new specification capability.  NVIDIA quickly replaced the H100 80GB with the H100 NVL, increasing power density to 400W.  While this small jump was manageable for existing installations, NVIDIA then dove all-in with the H200 NVL released in late 2024 at 600W.  The rapid transition from 350W to 600W has put power and cooling technologies in the spotlight in a race to solve this next generation challenge.

The advent of technology has always brought about significant changes to various industries, and the transportation sector is no exception. Among the most transformative innovations in recent years is the development of autonomous vehicles, particularly trucks. The potential for autonomous trucks to revolutionize freight transport is immense, raising the fundamental question: will these technological advancements make human drivers obsolete? To explore this question, we must consider the current state of autonomous driving technology, the economic implications, and the societal impact of removing human drivers from the equation.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into military operations has revolutionized battlefield strategies, decision-making, and operational efficiency. Among these advancements, AI inference nodes deployed directly on soldiers represents a cutting-edge innovation. These nodes, compact computational devices, enable real-time AI processing and analytics, empowering soldiers with enhanced situational awareness, decision support, and operational effectiveness. However, such technology also brings challenges, particularly in power management, size, and weight constraints. This blog delves into the advantages and disadvantages of implementing AI inference nodes on soldiers, focusing on these critical aspects.

In my last post I wrote about the true value of an AS-9100 system, and as part of that document, I touched on “customers”. In this blog I would like to expound on the topic of customers.   

Companies are in business to achieve one thing for their shareholders, and that is VALUE. Let us look at that sentence ……there is no mention of “customer”, it is not even implied. But if customers are required, why don’t we have the word customer in it. Customers are the “How” we create value, where the sentence above is “WHY” we are in business. Subtle differences but very important.

In this video, Jaan Mannik, Director of Commercial Sales at OSS, does a quick walkthrough of Centauri Storage Expansion. Centauri offers rugged high-speed storage in a compact chassis. Built as a modular storage expansion to the OSS 3U SDS, Centauri can store up to 256 TB of NVMe storage in its 8-drive canister. These canisters allow for tool-less bulk or individual drive removal and can be hot-swapped for ease of use in fast-paced environments. The system is compatible with 2.5" NVMe drives, and its PCIe Gen4 hardware facilitates high-speed storage throughput. 

Driver Assistance, Partial Driving Automation, Conditional Driving Automation, High Driving Automation, Full Driving Automation: These terms describe the five stages or levels on the way to an autonomous vehicle. This is what they mean.

The need to keep US and allied troops out of harm’s way, while still pursuing battlefield superiority, increasingly requires a need for battlefield assets throughout the military theater to become fully autonomous.  Currently, most unmanned military vehicles are controlled remotely, but the military is expanding the role of autonomy within surface ships, submarine vessels, aircraft, and land vehicles to identify and take action on current and future threats. 

With the well-documented shortage of semi-truck drivers currently in the United States, where do we stand in terms of developing and deploying autonomous trucks?  Will autonomous long-haul trucks take jobs away from drivers?  Are fully autonomous trucks safe for the roads?  What does the future look like for autonomous trucks?  These are all great questions. This blog will discuss all that and more, so let’s jump in and discuss it.