NASA awards a $50 million contract to Microchip for a high-performance space computing processor.
The new CPU will support both space operations and applications used on Earth.
In accordance with the three-year contract, Microchip will develop an HPSC processor that at least 100 times outperforms the processing power of current space flight computers. The distinction will help NASA's planetary and lunar exploration missions in the future. The new processor's ability to adjust processing power based on evolving space operational needs for the best possible power consumption is perhaps its most significant feature.