Advanced processor delivers exponential gains in power and capabilities for computing on the edge.
- AI-enabled, quad-core, ARM processors in line with modern computing systems
- Upgrades legacy, increasingly scarce PowerPC components
- Unveiling with hands-on demos at 2023 IMSA Forum and Expo in Reno, Nevada, June 27-29
Q-Free (OSE: QFR), a global leader in mobility solutions for smart city infrastructure, is pleased to announce the unveiling of a new flagship processor for use in advanced transportation controllers (ATCs). The Velocity™ processors are AI-enabled ARM processors designed to shift the industry paradigm away from single-purpose traffic signal controllers to an ecosystem where hardware is the foundation of an edge computing platform.
Official Unveiling at IMSA Forum and Expo 2023
The Velocity processors are being unveiled at the largest tradeshow in America for traffic signal technicians—2023 IMSA Forum and Expo in Reno, Nevada, June 27-29. Attendees will experience the first traffic signal controller in North America to run exclusively on a modern ARM-based architecture and, thanks to the neural processing unit, the industry’s first AI-enabled signal controller.
Patrick Marnell, Q-Free’s Director of Product Management, said:This is a game changer. Moving to an ARM processor massively increases the computing power available on the controller. The traffic signal controller will no longer be a single-purpose device. It will become the smartphone of the municipal environment providing an edge computing node at every signalized intersection.
Velocity Processors Speed past Legacy Hardware
The new processors are quad-core chipsets, matching modern computing systems compared to the typical hardware found in most ATC controllers. Accompanying the boost in processing power is expanded storage and memory on the boards for more complex computing and data uses. Additionally, the legacy PowerPC chips commonly used in the traffic industry are becoming increasingly difficult to procure as the processor industry moves on from older technology.
Marnell said:Older PowerPC processors are harder and more expensive to get.
Transitioning to an ARM-based platform brings our industry’s technology in line with more modern standards. This lets Q-Free provide a more powerful controller while controlling costs and better managing lead times.
Q-Free will ship NEMA and 2070 ATC controllers with Velocity processors later this year and is accepting pre-orders now.
This article was originally published by Q-Free.
