Xilinx, a subsidiary of AMD, is providing its custom processing technology to power NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which will take astronauts on a new journey to orbit the Moon in 2024.
According to a statement released on March 4, the manufacturer is producing field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) — that is, processing devices whose functions can be defined and updated by software — for the reusable rocket and space capsule that will mark the launch of the Artemis II mission.
The information was revealed in synergy with the announcement of the crew that will travel to orbit the Moon in 2024. NASA has chosen four astronauts for the space program: Christina Koch, the first woman selected for a lunar mission; Victor Glover, first black man on a lunar mission; Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen.
The Xilinx that your solutions are adapted for the extreme conditions of outer space, mainly exposure to solar radiation. With these highly resilient field-programmable gate arrays, NASA will be able to adjust the rover’s component processing functions as needed.
Acquired for US$ 49 billion in 2022, Xilinx is the hardware giant’s bet to expand its operations beyond the production of processors and video cards and gain space in the FPGA market, which is currently dominated by Intel.