VNX+ officially ratified by ANSI and VITA

The VNX+ is an evolution of the VITA 74 VNX standard, specifically designed for environments where traditional VPX formats are not suitable. VNX+ modules measure 89 mm by 78 mm, with heights of 12.5 mm or 19 mm, and use conduction cooling, eliminating airflow over the boards. This design maintains reliability and robustness in extreme environments while delivering high computing and communication performance.

These systems are suitable for critical applications, including C5ISR (command, control, computing, communications, cybersecurity, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) platforms. In these contexts, size, weight and power consumption (SWaP) are major constraints, and the VNX+ meets them without compromising performance.

A typical VNX+ system consists of:

• A backplane,
• Power supply,
• VITA 90.0-compliant plug-in modules,
• Auxiliary modules,
• An input/output transition card.

This modular architecture provides high-speed interconnections between modules, with data rates of up to 25 Gb/s per channel. The elimination of airflow over the cards enhances reliability, which is crucial for the most demanding military and aerospace environments.

The family of standards comprises six main specifications, covering:

• The definition of the basic standard,
• Module profiles,
• Optical and RF interconnections,
• Power supplies and storage modules,
• Cooling and mounting systems.

Complementary standards, known as ‘dot standards’ detail interface, mounting, and power conversion practices, as well as solutions for energy storage, ensuring the interoperability and consistency of complex embedded systems.

The VNX+ standard is the result of more than ten years of development and continuous improvement. Each generation has been developed through a complete cycle of prototyping, testing, evaluation and revision, incorporating feedback, simulations and hardware testing. Published VNX+ standards:

• ANSI/VITA 90.0-2026: VNX+ Base Standard
• ANSI/VITA 90.1-2026: VNX+ Profile Tables
• VITA 90.2-2026-VDSTU: VNX+ Optical and RF Connector Modules - Type 2
• ANSI/VITA 90.3-2026: VNX+ Power Supply and Storage Modules
• ANSI/VITA 90.4-2026: VNX+ Cooling and Mounting Systems
• ANSI/VITA 90.7-2026: VNX+ Optical and RF Connector Modules - Type 7

This process ensures that the modules meet the requirements of military and aerospace applications while remaining compatible with the open architectures defined by SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture), promoting component reuse and reducing development costs.

According to David Givens, chair of the VITA 90 working group, the ratification of VNX+ is a turning point in compact embedded systems. It allows developers to push the boundaries of computing in demanding environments and opens up new opportunities in the aerospace and defence sectors.

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