Revolutionizing Medical Innovation with Intel® Core™ Ultra Processor-Powered Computer-on-Module
PCOM-B65A: A COM Express® Type 6 Basic Size Module Featuring Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors for Diverse Edge AI and Embedded Computing Solutions in Smart Medical Devices and Intelligent Healthcare
The medical equipment technology landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by the growing demand for advanced, cost-effective, and patient-centric healthcare solutions. Key trends leading this evolution include the miniaturization and increasing portability of devices to facilitate remote patient monitoring, telemedicine, and home healthcare services. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), which involves integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technology into medical devices, facilitates interconnected healthcare ecosystems by enabling real-time data sharing, remote monitoring capabilities, and improved care coordination among providers.
Moreover, the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), is revolutionizing medical imaging, diagnostics, drug discovery, and personalized medicine and healthcare by facilitating more accurate and efficient analysis of complex medical data. The adoption of robotic systems and automation is also on the rise across various applications, including surgical procedures, rehabilitation, and laboratory automation, aiming to enhance precision, efficiency, and patient safety. Additionally, the shift towards digital healthcare systems and the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) are fueling the development of more secure, interoperable, and user-friendly medical devices and healthcare software solutions.
Computer-on-modules (COM) play an indispensable role in propelling the development of cutting-edge medical equipment by providing the requisite computing power, connectivity solutions, seamless integration capabilities, and flexible upgradability.
Designed on compact platforms, with low-power requirements and ruggedized features, these computer modules can be seamlessly integrated into medical devices and equipment alike, enabling advanced data processing, acquisition, and control, all while maintaining high reliability and durability in healthcare settings with limited space.
Edge computing-enabled computer modules facilitate real-time data analysis and decision-making directly at the point of care, leading to swift response time, and minimize dependence on continuous internet connectivity to access cloud resources. Furthermore, computer-on-modules, built with wireless capabilities and compliance with communication protocols, enable the seamless integration of medical devices within interconnected IoMT ecosystems, fostering data exchange, remote monitoring, and telemedicine interoperability.
In addition, computer-on-modules, with inherent upgradability and scalability, empower developers to flexibly adapt and enhance designs. They can easily transition to modules with higher computing power for more demanding applications, and/or incorporate cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. On that note, enhanced with specialized AI hardware accelerators, these computer modules significantly boost the performance and efficiency of intelligent medical systems, enabling faster and more precise analysis of complex medical data, encompassing imaging, genomics, patient records, and other critical information.
In light of rapid technological advancements, and the potential for embedded computing modules to enhance edge AI computing, Portwell has designed and developed PCOM-B65A, a COM Express Type 6 Basic size module powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra processors. This module aims to drive innovation in smart medical devices and intelligent healthcare across diverse edge computing scenarios, leveraging optimized IoT, computer vision, and machine learning technologies.
More specifically, the Intel Core Ultra processor series delivers greater performance in a smaller footprint while optimizing for cost and power efficiency by leveraging the latest Intel® 4 process technology, and the innovative Foveros 3D packaging technology, which encompasses four tiles and a base die to form a complete processor chip: an SoC tile, a Graphics tile (GPU), a Compute tile (CPU) and an I/O tile.
In addition, boosting compute performance to the next level with power efficiency, the Intel Core Ultra processors provide three tiers of CPU cores offering up to 16 cores, including six Performance-cores (P-cores), eight Efficient-cores (E-cores), and two low-power Efficient-cores (LP E-cores), and 22 threads. It also enhances rapid and dynamic visual processing with the integration of an Intel® Arc™ GPU featuring up to eight Xe cores (128 EUs), and AI-based Xe Super Sampling (XeSS).
In the context of AI acceleration, Intel has taken performance-energy optimization to an entirely new level. There includes Intel® Deep Learning Boost (Intel® DL Boost) that is designed to accelerate demanding AI deep learning workloads by extending Intel® AVX-512 with a new Vector Neural Network Instruction (VNNI), leading to substantial improvements in deep learning inference performance over previous generations. Moreover, the Intel Core Ultra processor series integrates Intel’s advanced NPU, which delivers up to 11 TOPS of AI performance. When combined with the CPU and GPU, the entire SoC of an Intel Core Ultra processor can achieve up to 32 TOPS. Last but not least, the NPU, namely the Intel® AI Boost, purposely built to process longer-running AI workloads with energy efficiency, complements the AI capabilities managed by the CPU and GPU. This synergy enhances performance-power balanced AI inference capabilities for power-constrained edge applications.
The Portwell PCOM-B65A COM Express Type 6 Basic size module, designed with the Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, boasts an impressive array of features to enhance its performance and versatility. It supports up to 96GB of DDR5 5600MTs non-ECC memory across two SO-DIMM slots, offering ample capacity for data-intensive applications. The module also features an extensive set of I/O interfaces, including PCIe Gen4 lanes, USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, SATA interfaces, and display outputs options, including HDMI, DP, VGA, eDP, and LVDS. Furthermore, PCOM-B65A incorporates the Intel® Ethernet Controller I226 providing support for 2.5GbE high-speed network connectivity. With all these features packed into a compact COM Express Basic size form factor measuring just 125mm x 95mm, and offered with long life cycle support of 10+ years, it is an ideal choice for space-constrained medical devices and embedded systems.
All around, Portwell’s PCOM-B65A COM Express Type 6 module is poised to drive innovation in the medical equipment technology market by addressing the evolving needs of healthcare providers and medical solutions developers. Thanks to Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, its powerful combination of cutting-edge processing capabilities, dedicated AI acceleration, and robust I/O interfaces make it an ideal platform for developing advanced medical devices and systems. The module’s small form factor and low-power design combined with the integration of AI and machine learning accelerators enable the creation of portable and wearable devices for remote patient monitoring and telemedicine applications, aligning with the trend towards miniaturization and portability in the medical fields.
Furthermore, PCOM-B65A’s seamless integration with IoMT ecosystems’ products and solutions facilitates real-time data sharing, remote monitoring, and improves coordination among healthcare providers, enabling interconnected and intelligent healthcare systems. With its scalable and modular design, PCOM-B65A also offers medical equipment developers and manufacturers the flexibility to adapt to evolving technological trends and customer requirements, ensuring long-term viability, cost-effectiveness and sustainability. By harnessing the power of PCOM-B65A, medical equipment manufacturers and developers can scale up and scale out innovative, intelligent, and connected healthcare solutions that improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and enhance the overall quality of care at the edge and beyond.
PCOM-B65A
