SolidRun first introduced the tiny CuBox Arm Linux mini PC in 2011, with the device based on a Marvell Armada 510 dual-core Armv7 processor, and followed in 2013 with the launch of the CuBox-i family powered by Freescale i.MX 6 single to quad-core Cortex-A9 processor.
The company moved to NXP i.MX 8M processor in 2018 with the introduction of CuBox Pulse, and now they’ve introduced their first Cubox mini PC with a built-in AI accelerator. Meet CuBox-M mini PC powered by NXP i.MX 8M Plus quad-core Cortex-A53 processor with a 2.3 TOPS NPU.
- SolidRun i.MX 8M Plus System-on-Module (SoM)
- SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus Quad quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8 GHz with Arm Cortex-M7 up to 800MHz, Vivante GC7000UL 3G GPU (Vulkan, OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 1.2), 2.3 TOPS NPU, 1080p60 H.264/H.265 video encoder, 1080p60 video decoder (H.265, H.264, VP9, VP8), Candence HiFi4 audio DSP
- System Memory – 1 or 4 GB 32-bit LPDDR4-4000 MT/s
- Storage – 8GB eMMC flash
- Connectivity – 1x Gigabit Ethernet transceiver, optional 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0
- Storage – MicroSD card
- Video Output – 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60
- Networking – Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port with optional PoE
- USB – 2x USB 3.0 dual-role ports
- Debugging – 1x Micro USB connected via FTDI serial chip for serial console access
- Misc- IR receiver, LEDs, RTC, user button
- Power Supply – 12V via DC jack, or PoE support
- Dimensions – 50 x 50 x 50 mm (about 2″ x 2″ x 2″) with ABS plastic enclosure
- Temperature Range – 0 to 40°C
CuBox-M can run Android 10 (soon Android 11) and Linux distributions with kernel 5.4 including Debian 11 Bullseye, and Yocto Project or Buildroot builds. You’ll find source code on Github, as well as hardware and software documentation on SolidRun developer website.
At just 8 cubic inches (2”x2”x2”), the company says the CuBox-M is smaller than a Rubik’s Cube, and the mini PC is suitable for on-the-go demos, software development & testing, camera-based image recognition, AI & machine learning inference at the edge, digital signage, virtual assistant and IoT applications, as a smart home gateway and more.
Cubox-M mini PC is available now for $99 with 1GB RAM or $160 with 4GB RAM, WiFi & Bluetooth, and PoE directly on SolidRun online store. Further details may also be found on the product page.
Via Liliputing
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Interesting ! i think there is a mistake for the size in cm btw 😉
Are they actually shipping now? They’ve said pre-order for a while now…
nice. PORT LAN! but CPU is OLD 🙁 why not new ARM core as like as m1 from apple
Because modern cores are not yet available in SoCs usable on SBCs nor are they supported by your average operating system. However the iMX8 family also has models integrating some A72, and this could already make a significant difference.
‘At just 8 cubic inches (2”x2”x2”)’ … why in inches? The whole world is on metric (except 3 countries Myanmar, Liberia and the United States).
SolidRun’s spec pages clearly says “50 x 50 x 50mm”.
Let’s keep it metric, can we?