BAE-Intel agreement aims to accelerate application of semiconductor technology
Can a new agreement with Intel enable BAE Systems to close a development gap between COTS semiconductors and their military applications? (Photo: BAE Systems)
BAE Systems wants to close the development lag in customising COTS advanced electronics for defence programmes.
BAE Systems revealed on 4 August that it intends to leverage a new strategic agreement with Intel to develop and field advanced electronics for defence applications.
The deal gives early access to select Intel technologies for the FAST Labs R&D organisation within BAE Systems.
While COTS semiconductor technology has increasingly been incorporated into US defence applications, BAE Systems noted that ‘military-grade technology requires domestically developed custom capabilities that go beyond commercially available technology’.
It added: ‘To date, this development lag of customising commercial technology has resulted in significant time gaps between chip-level technology and defence applications being fielded.’
Closing this development gap, ‘potentially by years in some cases’, would create advantages for US programmes, said FAST Labs director Chris Rappa.
BAE Systems and Intel already cooperate on Field Programmable Gate Array technology and on the SHIP-Digital programme. The latter extends the Intel wideband RF signal processing platform to SWaP-constrained defence applications.
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