ALT Software announces Hybrid ML
ALT Software announces Hybrid ML (Media Library) for Avionics and Safety Critical Applications
New software and device driver architecture addresses key industry challenges by bridging gaps between media APIs and graphics hardware on all classes of embedded devices ranging from software and FPGA implementations to low-power programmable GPUs and high-performance SoC processors.
Amsterdam, Nederlands- March 24th, 2010 – ALT Software announces the launch of their new Hybrid Media Library for OpenGL SC. Hybrid ML is software library and device driver architecture designed to offer developers a set of powerful new capabilities to leverage OpenGL SC and additional programmable features on all classes of media accelerated devices. It combines a flexible set of software components that support programmable media controllers of all types, including lightweight software implementations, low power graphics cores found in SoCs such as the Intel US15W, Freescale 5121, TI OMAP and Fujitsu Ruby, as well as more powerful programmable processors. Hybrid ML provides a standardized front-end API with DO-178B certifiable soft implementations of GPU stages, enabling intelligent insertion of hardware acceleration based on programmable pipeline stages (reliable shaders) or direct fixed function rendering on a wide array of devices. The product also offers capabilities for GPU virtualization, supports partitioned RTOS operation, and provides multi-context support and multiple GPU support within a single API interface. Initial RTOS support includes Green Hills INTEGRITY-178B and Wind River VxWorks 653.
Hybrid ML is an excellent example of the innovation and expertise that has made ALT a leading supplier of safety critical embedded graphics software to the avionics industry. It supports a wide range of applications that can utilize Green Hills Software’s INTEGRITY-178B RTOS and addresses the entire spectrum of low to high performance graphics. HybridML has also been architected with reusable graphics modules, which reduces the time and effort required to develop a DO-178B certifiable embedded system.
ALT’s Hybrid ML architecture is comprised of several components that together provide reliable media and graphics acceleration. It includes features such as:
•A small-footprint OpenGL SC and OpenGL ES API
•A set of components that provide trusted implementations of API features such as geometry caching, state tracking, memory management, and context control
•Reliable shader implementations of key OpenGL APIs for programmable systems
•A set of streamlined ‘micro-interfaces’ to software, FPGA, or hardware media accelerators as required
•Targeted extensions that provide shader capabilities within the Hybrid-ML architecture for key requirements such as digital mapping, medical imaging, etc.
•Control of a set of virtual contexts that allow multiple processes to access several logical GPUs on a single back end, or a single process to address multiple GPUs, and even dissimilar GPUs as needed
This set of software modules can be configured to intelligently layer a full implementation of required APIs on virtually any embedded graphics device by using various combinations of software rendering, FPGAs, programmable shader interfaces, or fixed function commands.
