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Hi Brent,
I also work at NVIDIA. I'm a senior s/w manager in the Embedded s/w
group; my team writes drivers for 3D and system s/w. We do certify our
chips to Do178b; they are currently flying in a number of aircraft.
-Tom
Brent Regan wrote:
Colyn writes:
<<<I
have to disagree that you would emit detailed terrain for lack of
processing resources. At this point, the amount of 3d processing
power available in a single chip is huge. (disclaimer: I'm a chip
architect for nVidia)
>>>
You are assuming that it is possible to implement and CERTIFY a nVidia
graphics processor. While it may be theoretically possible, it is
highly unlikely. Graphic processors are indeed processors and
processors run software and that software MUST be certified under
DO178B. So, nVidia must release the crown jewels of their corporate IP
to a third party for in depth scrutiny where EVERY conditional state
must be "exorcised". From what I have seen of the driver code (NOT pretty) of one of your
competitors, certifying anything graphics processor related would take
an effort measured in geologic time. The ice caps have melted, sea
levels have risen 200 feet, people evolved gills and a sixth finger on
each hand and, oh look, the FAA certified a graphics chip for EFIS.
What is an EFIS again?
The next problem is that if you do get the chip software through
certification and have spent the seven figures to do so, the chip
manufacturer will not guarantee chip availability for 10 years so you
are forced to buy enough chips now to satisfy your product lifetime
requirements. At ~$200 a copy that is another six figure expense.
Next. the frame buffers are not ECC.
Next. How am I going to drive the graphics processor with my OS free
system? Will nVidia support a one of a kind, low volume driver?
Next. Will nVidea expose themselves to product liability and product
support for the sake of a day's worth of sales? "Your honor, my
Billy-bob would never have flown his airplane into that mountain unless
the graphics processor told him it wer OK."
Next. The FAA has recently decided that graphics processors are evil
and have ordered the scribes to chisel this in stone. If you want to
try to change their minds you are welcome to try.
I like nVidia products. I have a high end nVidea card in the
workstation that I am using to design the IDU-IV for CFS. Unfortunately
that is the closest a graphics processor will get to the next
generation of certified EFIS products.
Again, making something that looks good on the ground is trivially
easy. You can breadboard hardware together for a few thousand dollars
and a few weeks time. Making something that performs reliably in flight
is the hard part. The vast majority of the experimental EFIS systems
out there would not survive or pass the most benign Safety of Flight
(SOF) test levels in DO160E. Never mind the higher levels required for
certification. The vibration test alone would, as my son observed,
convert most experimental EFIS systems into "Electronic Piñatas".
John is accurate in saying that innovation frequently comes from a
small talented group that works for long hours with little pay to
revolutionize and industry. I have been fortunate to be part of one of
those small groups that have succeeded in showing the way to
revolutionize an industry. Our group, now designing the next generation
EFIS, is still small and they still work 14 hour days 7 days a week,
and have been doing it for a DECADE.
Promises come far cheaper than experience.
Regards
Brent Regan
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