The Electronics Division of HEITEC AG recently unveiled its OpenVPX board concept as a project example for edge applications in the defence sector. The board serves as a conceptual design and demonstrates a potential solution architecture. Thanks to its modular design, it can be customized to meet specific requirements.
Designed for use in OpenVPX systems (VITA 65), the compact module integrates a high-performance Intel Arria V FPGA with a Linux operating system as the central processing unit. Optionally, an AI accelerator card, such as the Hailo-8 (up to 26 TOPS), can be connected via an M.2 interface for small edge workloads.
The VPX board features a customizable front panel housing an SFP slot (for copper or fibre-optic modules), an Ethernet port, and various status LEDs. Data is transmitted to the backplane via PCIe through the rear VPX connector, enabling seamless communication with other cards in the system. The backplane is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the defence industry and can also be offered in custom configurations upon request.
The card is suitable for a wide range of AI edge applications, including security detection/environmental monitoring, image processing, smaller LLMs, and other AI workloads. In addition, the solution supports both AI inference (applying a trained AI model to new data) and low-speed on-board training. The OpenVPX board can be flexibly adapted to specific customer requirements in terms of both, interfaces and functionality.
With this board concept, HEITEC demonstrates its expertise in regulated industries and its commitment to providing advanced electronic solutions that integrate seamlessly into customer-specific applications. Development and manufacturing take place in Germany according to the highest quality standards with end-to-end validated processes.
Company Portrait
HEITEC offers high-quality, integrated and innovative solutions, products and services in automation, digitalization, electronics, energy technology, software engineering and special machinery.
With cost-effective, end-to-end solutions and years of industry expertise, HEITEC supports over 2,000 customers to increase their productivity and optimize their products. With more than 1,200 employees at numerous locations in Germany and abroad, HEITEC guarantees customer proximity and industry expertise. At its Electronics Competence Centre, HEITEC develops and manufactures custom electronic products and systems, ranging from simple circuit boards to complex systems comprising hardware, embedded software, application software, and enclosure technology. HEITEC possesses in-depth technical expertise and is well- versed in the specific requirements of regulated industries. All development and production processes are tailored to these requirements and are audited and certified.



