Space Codesign Systems, a leader in embedded systems design solutions, announced participation in a European Space Agency (ESA) project to create a new OpenMP framework for spaceborne systems. This framework aims to improve efficiency and resilience of these critical systems.
MONTREAL, April 2, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Space Codesign Systems, a leading provider of end-to-end solutions for embedded systems design, is pleased to announce its participation in a collaborative project backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop an advanced OpenMP framework for enhanced efficiency and resilience in spaceborne systems. This project is funded under the ESA's Open Space Innovation Platform initiative.
The growing complexity and diversity of embedded FPGA SoCs (System on Chip) in modern satellites pose significant challenges for software developers. Optimizing software deployment, ensuring compliance with safety and availability constraints, and maximizing development productivity are crucial for successful space missions.
Addressing Challenges in Parallel Programming for Space with the ESA
Traditional programming languages used in critical real-time systems struggle to handle the extreme parallelism offered by modern platforms. OpenMP, a widely adopted standard for parallel programming in high-performance computing, is emerging as a viable solution for exploiting parallelism within the SoCs used in critical domains.
While OpenMP offers a comprehensive set of functionalities and supports various CPU and accelerator devices, its application in space systems requires further development. This ESA-backed project addresses these challenges by proposing a novel OpenMP framework that integrates an enhanced parallel programming model with a customized compiler and runtime system.
Benefits of the New OpenMP Framework
This innovative framework offers a two-pronged approach:
- Resilience: Leverages the parallel and heterogeneous capabilities of SoCs to implement software fault-tolerance techniques such as replication, N-version programming, and advanced monitoring
- Efficiency: Provides tools for design space exploration, enabling optimal deployment configurations across CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs within modern space SoCs
"Developing space applications requires uncompromising performance and reliability," said Hubert Guerard, CEO of Space Codesign. "By collaborating with the ESA and other leading organizations, this project will allow us to achieve resilient FPGA acceleration, ensuring critical space missions can operate effectively, even in harsh environments."
Project Consortium Expertise
The project leverages the expertise of a consortium of leading organizations:
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center: Specializes in adapting OpenMP for critical real-time systems, focusing on efficiency, productivity, resilience, and functional correctness. They will extend the compilation toolchain for code analysis and transformation.
- IRT Saint Exupéry and Space Codesign Systems: Offers expertise in FPGA deployment and design space exploration. They will contribute the TOAST and SpaceStudio technologies, with SpaceStudio serving as the integration and evaluation framework.
- Airbus Defence and Space: Provides crucial insights into spaceborne systems requirements, including performance and resilience needs. Airbus Defence and Space will also contribute the use case applications for evaluating the framework.
By combining the strengths of OpenMP with a next-generation framework, this project has the potential to revolutionize software development for spaceborne systems, leading to more efficient, robust, and reliable missions.
About Space Codesign Systems
Space Codesign Systems Inc. is a leading provider of innovative solutions for embedded systems design, offering a unique end-to-end development environment specifically tailored to space applications.
Media Contact
Hubert Guerard, Space Codesign Systems, 1 514-985-5255, [email protected], www.spacecodesign.com
SOURCE Space Codesign Systems
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