Posted by John McHale
TORONTO, Ontario, 5 March 2011. ALT Software will provide Saab with embedded graphics display drivers and DO-178B certification support for Saab's next-generation avionics computer hardware. ALT's OpenGL drivers will support Saab's deployment of AMD's ATI Radeon E4690 graphics processor (GPU) into a variety of PowerPC-based systems running the VxWorks 6.x real-time operating system. ALT's graphics drivers are based on the embedded OpenGL API, an open standard graphics API that is natively supported in most GPUs.

"Saab is developing next-generation graphics hardware that can be combined with PowerPC-based mission systems to improve situational awareness in the cockpit," says Hans Brandtberg, senior business development executive, Avionics Division, Saab. "The ATI Radeon GPU, in combination with ALT's OpenGL graphics drivers, is one core element of our new product platform. This powerful graphics solution will support our state-of-the-art avionics products such as mission management displays, advanced moving maps, image processing, and heads-up displays for various types of aircraft and helicopters on the world market."
ALT Software will be showcasing their technology in booth E7 at Avionics and Defence Electronics Europe in Munich, Germany, March 16-17.
"We are pleased to see that the industrial-rated ATI E4690 is being selected by many aerospace manufacturers," says Darryl Parisien, president of ALT Software. "This is a significant contract with Saab that we will be supporting for many years to come. We're very excited about this opportunity to establish ourselves as a long term strategic vendor to this industry leader."
The AMD Radeon E4690 GPU is available with 20-year lifecycle management and a temperature-screened industrial rating from ALT Software and Channel One International.