MerlinTPS Partners with Bluespec to Provide Urgently Needed GPS Augmentation and Backup Without Satellites
13 Mayo 2024 - 8:00AM
MerlinTPS, a leading provider of of Terrestrial Positioning Systems
(alternative GPS technology), alternative GPS technology, today
announced it has partnered with Bluespec, an industry leader in
RISC-V verification tools and silicon IP, to address the GPS
industry’s critical need for augmentation and backup technology as
satellites continue to face new challenges, including wartime
contested space as well as increased costs to produce and maintain
satellites. This collaboration enables the two companies to bring
to life the next phase of MerlinTPS’ next-gen platform, which is
capable of providing positioning, navigation, timing (PNT) and
geospatial radio frequency data.
MerlinTPS is working with Bluespec to further develop its
platform that can support GPS services in what will be a
high-utility, low-latency edge platform based on the RISC-V open
standard. This platform will support the expansion of today’s PNT
security capabilities by utilizing existing signals of opportunity
on the ground that combat jamming and spoofing. MerlinTPS will
further raise the bar for security by creating new tools that will
strengthen cybersecurity and physical security technology.
With Bluespec’s expertise in the design, implementation and
verification of RISC-V processors, along with the company’s
innovative technology to accelerate workloads, MerlinTPS will be
able to quickly get up and running with customized RISC-V
processors. Furthermore, Bluespec’s RISC-V solutions are designed
to be easily ported from early prototypes using field programmable
gate arrays (FPGAs) to mass produced application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC) solutions, saving development time and
effort.
“Bluespec has helped many companies use RISC-V to innovate, and
we are happy to be bringing that capability to MerlinTPS,” said
Charlie Hauck, CEO of Bluespec. “With our verification and
validation centric RISC-V solutions, MerlinTPS can develop
customized solutions in a matter of weeks, allowing it to
deliver highly differentiated products with minimal
project and schedule risk.”
There’s been an inflection point in the silicon industry with
the growing demand for high-power computing. Meeting this demand
requires a high level of software and hardware co-integration and
verification. MerlinTPS and Bluespec share a common vision of
creating this next-gen technology, allowing MerlinTPS to innovate
in new ways and accelerate development time to pilot different use
cases as early as this summer.
“Bluespec’s seasoned advice, development experience and
efficiencies have been a great springboard for us,” said Christian
Kotscher, CEO at MerlinTPS. “Bluespec’s acute knowledge of leading
software and hardware development stood out when we were looking
for a partner for delivering the next iteration of our technology.
With the need for supplemental GPS technology becoming more
pressing by the day, our work together will help bring the platform
and its multitude of capabilities to life quicker.”
By implementing Bluespec’s RISC-V processors in FPGAs, MerlinTPS
can quickly modify, generate and load new code onto
FPGAs. This approach allows for hardware reuse, avoiding the
need to build custom hardware for each task. However, MerlinTPS can
easily make customizations to Bluespec’s RISC-V soft processor
cores — adding custom instructions designed to accelerate specific
workloads — when needed. In the future, MerlinTPS plans to add AI
capabilities to the platform, so these acceleration capabilities
are especially important.
For more information about MerlinTPS, please visit:
https://merlintps.com/.
About MerlinTPS MerlinTPS is an innovator in
the field of terrestrial A-PNT solutions providing next generation
GPS alternatives. With a mission to be the exquisite terrestrial
PNT solution, the company's cutting-edge technologies are focused
on bringing unparalleled denial-proof accuracy and precision to a
wide range of timing and positioning applications across a
multitude of industries. www.merlintps.com
About Bluespec Bluespec provides RISC-V tools
and silicon IP that enable companies to exploit the freedom to
innovate and reduce costs that RISC-V enables. We provide a
complete RISC-V software development environment running on fast,
hardware-accurate RISC-V cores in an FPGA-enabled cloud and a
turnkey hardware acceleration tool for developing innovative,
high-performance, low-power RISC-V subsystems. For more information
on Bluespec, Inc., visit http://www.bluespec.com.
Media ContactMatt GreenfieldUproar PR for
MerlinTPSmgreenfield@uproarpr.com