Crystal Group Redefines Rugged With Next-Gen PCIe Gen4 High-Performance Servers

April 20, 2021

HIAWATHA, Iowa–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#AI—Crystal Group, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of rugged computer and electronic hardware, announced today their new family of next-gen Crystal Group FORCE^TM (FG2) PCIe Gen4-enabled rugged servers. Designed for optimal performance in the most unpredictable and remote environments, the FG2 servers deliver ultra-low latency and parallel processing to maximize real-time speed and accuracy of demanding computational workloads, including sensor fusion, unmanned systems, communication, and intelligence.

With an unprecedented 64 lanes of PCIe Gen4 per CPU the newly released 3^rd Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable processors—code-named “Ice Lake”—provide built-in artificial intelligence (AI) acceleration with Intel^® Deep Learning Boost, allowing the FG2 motherboards to support either single- or dual-socket P+ CPUs. This new architecture increases both the system’s core-per-watt capability and memory bandwidth with up to eight 3200MHz DDR4 channels.

The FG2 family also includes two new GPU-ready servers designed to enable AI and machine learning (ML). The two variants—a 2U equipped with four NVIDIA Tensor Core T4s and a 3U with two NVIDIA Tensor Core A100 GPUs—provide options to right size the hardware to a customer’s specific AI/ML application. A 1U version is in development.

“By combining PCIe Gen4-equipped motherboards with multiple NVIDIA GPUs in a single server, these GPU-ready servers elevate the real-time capabilities and accuracy of edge AI/ML,” said Jim Shaw, executive vice president of Engineering for Crystal Group. “What’s more, their unique chassis designs address the significant heat and thermal challenges generated from housing this much compute power in a single unit.”

Along with the increased core count, speed and performance packed into the compact FG2 footprint, these servers boast enhanced storage, increased memory capacity, and 3^rd Gen Intel Xeon processor cybersecurity features such as, advanced encryption standard (AES), total memory encryption, and software guard extensions (SGX).

“Crystal Group invented the first rugged server designed specifically to meet the harsh demands of forward-deployed, austere environments in 2006,” said Shaw, “As the needs and opportunities to move heavy compute applications from data centers to the front lines, we continuously apply our expertise to redefine the latest high-performance rugged compute solutions with an unmatched level of ruggedization, power, speed, accuracy and customization to meet the evolving needs of our government and industrial customers.”

At the forefront of innovation, Crystal Group leads the industry in providing scalable, reliable and secure solutions that keep pace with the ever-changing demands of its served markets and enable success for its customers. Contact Crystal Group to learn how FG2 can help you achieve your compute and AI objectives.

About Crystal Group, Inc.

Crystal Group, Inc. is a technology leader in rugged computer hardware, specializing in the design and manufacture of custom and commercial rugged servers, embedded computing, networking devices, displays, and data storage for high reliability in harsh environments. A small employee-owned business founded in 1987, Crystal Group provides the defense, government and industrial markets with integrated solutions that bring seamless, real-time artificial intelligence, autonomy and cybersecurity to demanding edge applications.

Crystal Group products meet or exceed IEEE, IEC, and military standards, including MIL-STD-810, 167-1, 461, and MIL-S-901, and are backed by a five-plus-year warranty. All products are manufactured in the company’s facility, certified to ISO 9001:2015/AS9100D quality management standards.