RAD750

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The RAD750 is a radiation-hardened single board computer, based on IBM's PowerPC 750. The successor of the RAD6000, the RAD750 is manufactured by BAE Systems. It is intended for use in high radiation environments such as experienced on board satellites and spacecraft. The RAD750 was released for purchase in 2001; a successor is planned for 2007. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft has a RAD750 on board.

The CPU has 10.4 million CMOS transistors, nearly ten times more than its predecessor. It is manufactured using 250 nm photolithography and has a die area of 130 mm². It has a core clock of 133–166 MHz and can process at up to 300 MIPS, or greater with an extended L2 cache.

The CPU itself can withstand 200,000 Rads and temperature ranges between –55ºC and 125ºC. The standard RAD750 single-board system (CPU and motherboard) can withstand 100,000 Rads and temperature ranges between –55ºC and 70ºC and requires at least 10 watts of power.

The RAD750 packaging and logic functions are completely compatible with the standard PowerPC 750, but the RAD750 system has a price tag in excess of US$200,000: the high price is mainly due to radiation hardening revisions to the PowerPC 750 architecture and manufacturing, stringent quality control requirements, and extended testing of each processor chip manufactured.