BGA Packaging Conversion Technology Enables Highest-Performance Server Processors in Most Demanding Environments

ANDOVER, Mass., July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRCY) (www.mrcy.com) announced that it has extended its commercially-developed Ball Grid Array (BGA) packaging conversion technology to the new Intel^® Xeon^® Processor Scalable Family, previously codenamed “Skylake-SP”. The technology enables conversion of the land grid array (LGA) package found on standard Intel Xeon server CPUs to the more rugged BGA package. The result is a truly rugged server-class processing option in an open system architecture that delivers 2-4x the performance of other product lines of Intel Xeon processors generally available in native BGA packages. Once converted to BGA, the new Intel Xeon processors can be used in a wide variety of deployed military applications on airborne, naval and ground platforms that must be able to withstand harsh temperature and vibration conditions.   

“Mercury’s unique BGA conversion technology enables our customers to use the latest and most powerful Intel Xeon server chips in deployed military applications,” said Richard Jaenicke, Director of Strategic Marketing and Alliances. “The new Intel Xeon Processor Scalable Family provides major increases in vector processing performance, memory bandwidth, and number of cores as compared with native BGA-based Intel Xeon solutions such as the Intel Xeon Processor D family and the Intel Xeon Processor E3 mobile family.”

Mercury’s BGA conversion technology has been successfully deployed on a number of systems that use the previous generation of server-class Intel Xeon processors. Mercury has applied the technology to the new Intel Xeon Processor Scalable Family even though it is 44% larger in area. Combined with using military-grade solder balls and underfill, this BGA conversion solution eliminates the risk of thermal expansion or contraction of the package causing cracking or opens. Mercury has demonstrated the reliability of converting that LGA3647 package to BGA with successful repeated thermal shock testing. The result is a rugged server processor option suitable for extreme environmental conditions and ready to meet and exceed military durability and reliability requirements.

The Intel Xeon Processor Scalable family brings major feature advances that are applicable to high-performance signal processing and mission computing applications. Compared to the previous generation Intel Xeon Processor E5 family, the new processors have double the vector processing performance with the new AVX512 engine, 50% more memory bandwidth by expanding to 6 memory channels, and increased core count up to 24 cores on models with extended temperature and extended availability of supply. In contrast, the Intel Xeon-D processor family has 2x fewer cores, 3x fewer memory channels, and 2x lower vector processing capability. The Intel Xeon-E3 v6 family similarly has 6x fewer cores, 3x fewer memory channels, and 2x lower vector processing capability.

Mercury plans to utilize the BGA-converted Intel Xeon Processor Scalable family in its OpenVPX, ATCA, and Secure Rack Server product families. For more information on Mercury’s BGA packaging conversion technology and the benefits of applying it to the Intel Xeon Scalable Family, visit www.mrcy.com/skylake or contact Mercury at (866) 627-6951 or info@mrcy.com. 

Mercury Systems – Innovation That Matters^™

Mercury Systems (NASDAQ:MRCY) is a leading commercial provider of secure sensor and mission processing subsystems. Optimized for customer and mission success, Mercury’s solutions power a wide variety of critical defense and intelligence programs. Headquartered in Andover, Mass., Mercury is pioneering a next-generation defense electronics business model specifically designed to meet the industry’s current and emerging technology needs. To learn more, visit www.mrcy.com.

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Mercury Systems and Innovation That Matters are trademarks of Mercury Systems, Inc. Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. OpenVPX is a trademark of VITA. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Contact:
Robert McGrail, Director of Corporate Communications
Mercury Systems, Inc.
+1 978-967-1366 / rmcgrail@mrcy.com