Frost & Sullivan presented Mercury Computer Systems with the 2006 Aerospace & Defense Computer Product Innovation of the Year Award for developing the PowerBlock 200, a compact and powerful signal processing appliance designed for commercial and military sensor applications. Mercury, as an important supplier of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), high-performance embedded computing solutions, helps major defense contractors to effectively meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Mercury provides component-level and system-level solutions that span hardware, software, silicon IP, services, and systems for a range of challenging applications that include radar and sonar signal processing, seismic processing, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT). Mercury serves customers worldwide through a broad network of direct sales offices, subsidiaries, and distributors. "While its defense systems process radar, sonar, imagery, and communications signals and enable wireless networks, as well as transform sensor data to information for analysis and interpretation, its medical systems assist in faster processing of magnetic resonance, tomography, and X- ray images," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Bradley Curran. Particularly, the PowerBlock 200, which comes with 200 GFLOPS of signal processing capacity in a small and rugged package, will propel the advancement of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) applications that involve intensive computations. This breakthrough in performance density could have a major impact on the U.S. homeland security operations and aid in faster realization of network-centric warfare goals. The PowerBlock 200 is credited to be the first rugged device designed with the Cell Broadband Engine (BE) processor. With a processing capacity equal to 12-20 PowerPC processors or 45 Intel Pentium 4 processors, in about a one-half cubic foot rugged chassis, the PowerBlock 200 provides the processing performance to propel battlefield visualization and decision aids computing power solutions devised in research laboratories out to tactical vehicles in the field. "The PowerBlock 200 can vastly improve the tactical processing capability of defense technologies deployed on air, surface, subsurface, and mobile ground platforms, including unmanned vehicles of all types," points out Curran. "Its advantages include increased signal processing power and speed, reduced burden on communication links and consolidated sensor and analysis functions, resulting in faster threat recognition and response." Small size, weight, simplified logistics, maintenance, and operational procedures make the PowerBlock 200 an ideal choice for a large array of combat vehicles. It will provide advanced computing power and enhance network- centric warfare-enabling functions such as electronic warfare, communications intelligence, electronics intelligence, cryptology, computer security, computer forensics, open source intelligence, and information operations. Frost & Sullivan's Product Innovation of the Year Award is bestowed upon a company that has carried out new research, which has resulted in innovation(s) that have or are expected to bring significant contributions to the industry in terms of adoption, change, and competitive posture. This Award recognizes the quality and depth of a company's research and development program as well as the vision and risk-taking that enabled it to undertake such an endeavor. Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.