By Jacob | November 6, 2018

ZMicro Launches ZM3 – Industry’s Smallest, Lightest GPU-Capable Mission Computer For Airborne ISR

SAN DIEGO, November 6, 2018 – ZMicro, the leader in rugged computing solutions, today announced the new ZM3 Mission Computer (zmicro.com/zm3), the industry’s smallest, lightest, most capable rugged computer with support for the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 GPU. The ZM3 is designed to provide the enterprise-class capabilities of a rack mount server in a fraction of the size and weight, making it ideal for space-constrained applications such as manned and unmanned airborne ISR.

A universal requirement in virtually all rugged military computing applications is Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) optimization. In the case of airborne ISR, where the mission is often driven by the capabilities of the payload, there is a relentless drive for lighter, more compact and ever more capable rugged mission computers.

“Whenever we talk with our customers about what they need in a mission computer, they always tell us to reduce the size, weight and power,” said Jason Wade, President of ZMicro. “We started from scratch and completely re-engineered the mission computer to give our customers what they’ve been asking for; advanced compute processing in the smallest, lightest form-factor possible. The ZM3 Mission Computer is a game-changer.”

In designing the ZM3, ZMicro took advantage of the new COM Express Type 7 specification, a server-on-module specification that is optimized for the demands of embedded edge servers. COM Express Type 7 allows processors such as the Intel® Xeon to be designed into COM Express modules and enables GPUs to be added via carrier boards. It also supports NVMe drives, which increase read/write speeds three to four times compared to SATA 3 and provides 10GbE LAN for rapid communication of video over the network.

ZM3 Mission Computer Features:

• Weighs less than 10 lbs.
• Up to 16 CORE, 1.3GHZ+ INTEL® XEON® processor
• NVIDIA Quadro P6000 GPU (optional)
• Flexible PCI expansion options: Up to 3 PCIe cards
• High-performance, NVMe based storage drives (up to 4TB)
• Designed and tested for DO-160, MIL-STD-461F, and MIL-STD-810G

The ZM3 Mission Computer is unique because it is the smallest, lightest, most cost-effective rugged mission computer available that can support an NVIDIA GPU card. With versatile mounting options and a convenient shape, the ZM3 enables system designers to utilize available space in a vastly more efficient manner, opening up new possibilities for configurations with greater processing capability or lighter, more compact loads.

Product Specifications

Complete product specifications are available on the ZM3 product page.

About ZMicro

ZMicro has been supplying MIL-SPEC computing solutions to U.S. military and intelligence system integrators for more than 30 years and has earned a reputation for superior product quality, reliability, and performance. ZMicro understands the challenges customers face and has the expertise and resources to address stringent and complex program requirements. The company’s commercial off–the–shelf (COTS) products include rugged flat panel displays, high-performance computers, flexible storage systems, and real-time video enhancement solutions. For more information, visit www.zmicro.com.

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