Intel Unveils 18A Starfire CPUs With Xe Graphics Built For Space Travel
Intel has announced its Starfire 18A node SoC built for orbital and deep-space applications. Designed explicitly for the U.S. government to satisfy stringent size, weight, power, and cost constraints, this heavy-duty processor merges commercial AI performance with ruggedized, space-grade durability.
Space is notoriously hostile to traditional silicon, with threats such as cosmic radiation, single-event effects, and wild thermal swings. Intel’s Starfire counters these obstacles with an architecture that supports Total Ionizing Dose (TID) protection, Single Event Latch-up (SEL) prevention, and Single Event Effect (SEE) mitigation. As a result, it's able to operate smoothly across a temperature range from -55°C to 125°C (-67°-257°F). Additionally, this silicon marvel is even backed by a 10-plus-year operational warranty, ensuring that long-term satellite networks and exploratory probes can function uninterruptedly over prolonged lifecycles.
At the core of Starfire lies a multi-chip Foveros package, which integrates diverse compute elements derived from the consumer-focused Panther Lake,...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to hothardware.com. To see the full text click HERE
