Being independent of the processor socket and vendor, the board can be equipped with any high-end Computer-On-Module (COM) module available in COM-HPC Client Size A, B, or C, making OEM designs even more flexible and sustainable. The impressive scalability across the entire range of COM-HPC modules based on 12th generation Intel Core processors, which congatec offers in 14 different high-performance options, is just the beginning of all the possibilities. The performance options of the new conga-HPC/uATX motherboard range from the conga-HPC/cALS COM-HPC Client Size C modules, which offer the highest current performance for embedded clients with a 16-core Intel Core i9 processor, to the masters of price/performance optimization – the conga-HPC/cALP COM-HPC Client Size A modules with an Intel Celeron 7305E processor.

The combination of application-ready, industrial-grade carrier boards and COMs with tailored cooling solutions and comprehensive BSPs for all leading RTOSs and Real-Time Systems' real-time hypervisor is ideal for faster time to market, lower non-recurring engineering costs, enabling customers to react quickly to changing market requirements, and minimizing the effort required to scale the performance of Micro-ATX-based systems. It allows customers to create a complete product portfolio based on a single support concept.

Future upgrade and enhancement options for Micro-ATX-based platforms are inherent in the design, offering maximum performance flexibility, system design security, and long-term sustainable availability for application-specific carrier board and system designs. In times of supply chain uncertainty, the ability to choose any available COM-HPC module is a particular advantage. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) benefit from not being tied to a specific BGA or LGA processor from a single silicon or COM module supplier, significantly reducing the risk of supply shortages. At the same time, application-specific mechanicals and peripherals can remain unchanged without any hardware modifications.

"The new industrial-grade Micro-ATX COM-HPC carrier board brings all the advantages of COM modules to the high-end industrial and semi-industrial motherboard market. It will advance system designs from conventional motherboards, which are tailored to a specific processor generation, to much more flexible and sustainably scalable motherboard designs that utilize COM modules. Industrial applications require longer lifecycles than three to five years to reduce renewable energy costs and maximize the return on investment for dedicated systems. Being able to switch processor performance to any future option without rebuilding the entire system is therefore a major advantage for many industries," explains Martin Danzer, Director of Product Management at congatec.

The new conga-HPC/uATX carrier board for COM-HPC modules in Micro-ATX form factor allows engineers to instantly prototype their next-generation high-performance embedded and edge computing systems, accelerating time to market. Micro-ATX system designs are application areas for multi-display system solutions found in a variety of markets. Typical applications range from industrial and medical HMIs, real-time edge controllers, industrial PCs and control room systems, to infotainment and digital signage applications, and professional casino gaming systems.

The carrier board offers the latest interface enhancements, such as PCIe Gen4 and USB 4, and is perfectly suited for system designs using congatec's latest high-end COM-HPC Client modules, based on 12th Gen Intel Core i9/7/5/3 desktop processors (formerly known as Alder Lake-S). What's most impressive is that engineers can now leverage Intel's innovative hybrid performance architecture. Offering up to 16 cores/24 threads, 12th Gen Intel Core processors deliver a significant leap forward in multitasking and scalability.

Next-generation IoT and edge applications benefit from up to 8 performance-optimized cores (P cores) plus up to 8 energy-efficient cores (E cores) and DDR5 memory support to accelerate multithreaded applications and run background tasks more efficiently. Optimized to get the most out of embedded clients, the graphics modules based on LGA processors now offer up to 94% faster performance, and their image classification inference performance has nearly tripled to up to 181% higher. Furthermore, the modules offer massive bandwidth for connecting discrete GPUs and achieving maximum GPGPU-based graphics and AI performance.

In addition to increased bandwidth and performance, the new flagship COM-HPC Client modules impress with dedicated AI engines that support Windows ML, Intel's OpenVINO toolkit distribution, and Chrome Cross ML. Different AI workloads can be seamlessly delegated across P cores, E cores, and GPU execution units to handle even the most intensive AI workloads. Built-in Intel Deep Learning Boost technology leverages different cores through Vector Neural Network Instructions (VNNI), and the integrated graphics support AI-accelerated DP4a GPU instructions that can even scale to dedicated GPUs. Furthermore, Intel's low-power integrated AI accelerator, the Intel Gaussian & Neural Accelerator 3.0 (Intel GNA 3.0), enables dynamic noise suppression and speech recognition, and can even run while the processor is in low-power states to wake up voice commands.

The conga-HPC/cALS COM-HPC Client Size C modules with 12th generation Intel Core processors for desktop computers will be available in the following four configurations.


For the lower end of the high-end desktop client market, ten additional variants are available with processors soldered onto conga-HPC/cALP COM-HPC Client Size A (95x120mm) modules.

The Micro-ATX carrier board design can be customized to OEM requirements, and carrier board schematics are available upon request. Engineers interested in learning how to design carrier boards with COM-HPC modules are invited to participate in the COM-HPC training courses offered by congatec.

Engineers can easily assemble their starter kit for field deployments by ordering the new conga-HPC/uATX carrier board for COM-HPC modules in Micro-ATX form factor, choosing one of congatec's COM-HPC Client modules plus appropriate cooling solutions tailored to the specific module, and ordering the in-demand congatec-validated DRAM in the same package. Compatibility with Real-Time Systems' hypervisor technology, as well as OS support for Real-Time Linux and Wind River VxWorks, makes these starter kits a truly complete ecosystem package for facilitating and accelerating the development of edge computing applications.

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