SoCs for space the focus of contract between CAES and European Space Agency
NewsJanuary 03, 2022
ARLINGTON, Va. MIssion-critical electronics company CAES has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a fault- and radiation-tolerant system-on-chip (SoC) intended for use in satellite and spacecraft applications.
The project -- funded by the Swedish National Space Agency -- is intended to boost performance and power efficiency in satellite and space applications by developing a 16-core microprocessor for space use based on the open RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA). According to the announcement from CAES, the GR7xV SoC will be designed into controls and payload data management and processing systems that are intended for use in space.
The SoCs that are intended to emerge from this contract are aimed at enabling new kinds of observational, communication, navigational, and scientific missions and services, including advanced, flexible telecommunications satellite payloads, scientific and earth-observation payloads, and robotics systems such as planetary-exploration rovers.
Sandi Habinc, General Manager, CAES Gaisler Products, said of the accord with the ESA: "The open RISC-V ISA has seen significant adoption in other markets, and this project is the first to develop a RISC-V-based ASIC for space applications.”
