Raytheon Co. in El Segundo, CA received a $27.7 million cost-plus fixed-fee multi-year contract to develop and demonstrate Polymorphous Computing Architecture (PCA) technologies under the MONARCH program. PCA is aimed at developing a new class of processing technology that is “morphable” such that processing resources can be reprogrammed during operations, in order to more optimally meet mission-processing requirements.
Capabilities Solicitation began in April 2004, and the contractor is expected to complete the development of the new PCA architecture and PCA Phase III program by April 2007. The Air Force Research Laboratory in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract (F33615-04-G-0002).
Note that Polymorphous Computing Architectures (PCA) represent a significant leap in the capabilities of computing systems, but also a dramatic increase in software complexity and fragility. Associated research projects will also be necessary to develop a stable and scalable software development platform for PCA devices.
Additional Background:
* Air Force Research Laboratory Technology Horizons: Polymorphic Computing Architectures
* ACM Portal: Emerging software frameworks for exploiting Polymorphous Computing Architectures