Global instability and rising cybersecurity threats have intensified the demand for rapid deployment solutions across military and government agencies. Many organizations are hindered by the limitations of traditional systems, which are not designed for dynamic and constrained environments. As a result, delivering mission-critical compute power on the go has become a formidable challenge.

These challenges include:

• Limited Compute Density: Conventional x86-based systems struggle to deliver sufficient performance within the constraints of small, portable form factors, making it difficult to achieve sufficient compute power in remote or constrained environments.
• Thermal and Power Constraints: High power consumption and significant heat generation create stability issues in confined spaces, such as aircraft cabins or tactical vehicles, where efficient cooling is a challenge.
• Logistical Complexity and Security Risks: Service branches and agencies need the agility to quickly get places. Requiring military airlift for transporting sensitive equipment is inflexible, inefficient and costly. When utilizing commercial airlines, equipment must meet TSA-approved size requirements to be carried on as luggage, ensuring that the hardware remains within the user’s direct control to eliminate risks of tampering or data compromise by adversaries.
• Demand for Versatility: Defense and government organizations require highly adaptable systems that can support multiple use cases, from AI inferencing and cybersecurity to tactical communications and edge computing.

These challenges highlight the need for a new class of portable, high-performance computing solutions that operate effectively in constrained environments while meeting strict security requirements. Recognizing this need, NextComputing and Ampere collaborated to create the Nexus Fly-Away Kit—a revolutionary solution that provides a more secure, high-density compute power in a carry-on-sized form factor.

Nexus Fly-Away Kits: A Solution to Defense and Government Computing Challenges

Fly-Away Kits directly address these barriers by offering TSA-compliant computing solutions that allow military and government personnel to keep mission-critical hardware by their side throughout air and ground travel. This ensures the security and integrity of the equipment, protects data and algorithms, reduces logistical complexity, and eliminates the need for costly military air transport. With their compact size and powerful processing capabilities, Fly-Away Kits can be rapidly deployed in any environment, providing flexibility and efficiency for mission-critical operations.

NextComputing Nexus 3 node 384 core configuration at KubeCon North America November 2024

The Performance Benefits of Ampere CPUs for Fly-Away Kits

At the heart of each Nexus Fly-Away Kit is the Ampere® Altra® processor, enabling NextComputing to pack up to 512 cores of compute power in a 4-node carry-on. Compared to traditional x86-based systems, Ampere CPUs offer higher compute density, consume less power, and generate less heat — making them ideal for small portable solutions.

Key Performance Advantages of Ampere CPUs:
1. High Compute Density: Ampere CPUs maximize the number of cores in a compact space, enabling the execution of compute-heavy tasks like AI inferencing and real-time analytics. Ampere processors are architected for virtualized, containerized workloads such as Kubernetes, enabling portable micro clouds.
2. Lower Power Consumption and Reduced Heat Generation: Ampere’s architecture ensures lower power consumption and heat generation compared to legacy compute, which is critical for stable operation in compact, portable systems. We have observed up to 4x the efficiency compared to Intel embedded CPUs.

These advantages directly translate into real-world applications, enabling defense organizations to run advanced AI models for cybersecurity, process large data sets, and perform real-time analytics in the field.

Overcoming Thermal and Power Constraints

The thermal and power challenges of integrating high-performance computing into small form factors have traditionally been an obstacle to creating portable, high-density solutions. With conventional x86 systems, overheating and excessive power draw often lead to performance throttling or instability, making them unsuitable for portable deployments.

Ampere’s innovative architecture, with its lower power consumption and heat generation, enables Fly-Away Kits to maintain stable operation even in challenging environments. Whether deployed in confined spaces or in remote field locations, Fly-Away Kits powered by Ampere CPUs can operate safely and efficiently, making them an ideal solution for demanding mission-critical scenarios.

Exploring Use Cases and Real-World Applications
NextComputing’s Nexus Fly-Away Kit’s capabilities make it a versatile solution for a range of defense and government applications:

1. Cyber Defense Operations: Fly-Away Kits equipped with Ampere CPUs can run advanced AI models for threat detection, incident response, and real-time analysis, providing defense organizations with the tools they need to quickly detect and counteract cyber threats.
2. Portable 5G Networks: These kits can be configured to serve as portable 5G with Kubernetes edge deployment enabling secure, high-bandwidth communications with edge cloud for remote or contested areas.
3. Field Operations: Fly-Away Kits support on-the-fly analytics and real-time data processing, empowering defense personnel to make informed decisions during field operations.

These use cases demonstrate the versatility of Fly-Away Kits beyond cyber response teams and defense requirements. For instance, the same benefits of portability and high-performance computing can be applied to the broadcasting industry and emergency response scenarios including portable 5G base station, where quick deployment is crucial for success.

Enhanced Security
The Fly-Away Kit’s compact form factor ensures that sensitive equipment and data remain secure and with the user at all times—similar to an attaché case that never leaves your side. Checking such equipment as baggage introduces significant security risks, including physical theft, data breaches, and potential malware infiltration by malicious actors.

In addition, Ampere cores are single-threaded and each has its own large private cache. This adds a critical layer of protection, with greater resistance to side-channel attacks like Spectre and Meltdown that plague simultaneous multithreading (SMT) hyper-threaded legacy architectures such as those offered by Intel and AMD.

Finally, every node of the NextComputing Nexus has a built-in Trusted Platform Module TPM 2.0 module for further security enhancement.

NextComputing Nexus with SUSE Rancher and Harvester with Phillip Kramp of Rancher Government Solutions at KubeCon North America November 2024.

Nexus Fly-Away Kits are available in configurations including 4-node compute, 2-node with optional AI accelerators including NVIDIA L4 GPUs, and up to a petabyte of flash storage. A popular configuration, especially for Kubernetes clusters is 3-node with 2 compute nodes plus 1 storage and AI hardware accelerator node, all using SUSE with K3S and RKE2 for Kubernetes and Rancher for management, upgrades, deployments of containers and Harvester for VMs.

There is also a 2U version with built-in storage for rugged laptop, antennas, and cables. All of the models are stackable as shown below.

NextComputing Nexus 2U with built-in storage for laptop, antennas, and cables seen at KubeCon North America November 2024.

Nexus Fly-Away Kits are stackable as seen here at KubeCon North America November 2024.

NextComputing’s development of Fly-Away Kits marks a new chapter in portable computing for defense and government applications. With the power of Ampere cloud native processors, these compact kits offer unparalleled performance, efficiency, and flexibility, enabling military and government agencies to respond quickly and effectively in various environments.

As the need for portable, high-performance compute solutions grows, NextComputing, taking advantage of Ampere’s architecture and features, is poised to lead the charge, delivering innovative solutions that redefine what’s possible in mission-critical computing. For more information on the Nexus Fly-Away Kit and its capabilities, visit NextComputing’s product page and the official launch announcement.

Disclaimer
All data and information contained herein is for informational purposes only and Ampere reserves the right to change it without notice. This document may contain technical inaccuracies, omissions and typographical errors, and Ampere is under no obligation to update or correct this information. Ampere makes no representations or warranties of any kind, including express or implied guarantees of noninfringement, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose, and assumes no liability of any kind. All information is provided “AS IS.” This document is not an offer or a binding commitment by Ampere.

System configurations, components, software versions, and testing environments that differ from those used in Ampere’s tests may result in different measurements than those obtained by Ampere.

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