Russian company Prombit has unveiled the BITBLAZE Titan BM15 Arm Linux Laptop equipped with Baikal-M1 octa-core Arm Cortex-A57 processor manufactured by TSMC, up to 128GB RAM, SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch Full HD display.
Baikal-M1, also called Baikal-M, was already found in desktop PCs and All-in-One Arm Linux computers launched last year for the Russian government and businesses, but I think it’s the first time it shows up in a laptop.
BITBLAZE Titan BM15 specifications:
- SoC – Baikal M1 ((BE-M1000) octa-core Cortex-A57 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with Arm Mali-T628 GPU; 28nm manufacturing process
- System Memory – 16GB RAM, upgradeable up to 128 GB thanks to the two SO-DIMM DDR4 sockets [Update: Our previous article about Baikal M1 only showed the processor to support up to 32GB RAM, and 64GB DDR4 SO-DIMM modules don’t seem to exist, so the 128GB claim appears to be an error]
- Storage – 250 to 512GB M.2 SSD
- Display – 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen display with 1920×1080 resolution
- Video Output – 1x HDMI port
- Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, and I’d assume speakers and a microphone
- Camera – Front-facing webcam
- Networking
- Ethernet RJ45 port
- WiFi and Bluetooth
- USB – 4x USB 3.0 ports, 1x USB Type-C port
- Battery – 6,000 mAh good for about 5 hours
- Weight – 2.2kg for the pre-production model, but the production model might be lighter
There’s no mention of the operating system used on the product page, but the laptop most certainly runs the same Astra Linux distribution as the Baikal M hardware launched last year with the Russian office application package, and other programs all approved by the “Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media”.
However, the laptop may end up being a collector item, as Tom’s Hardware reports TSMC will not manufacture chips for Russian companies due to current sanctions. But we’ll have to see, as Chinese companies such as SMIC should still be able to manufacture processors on a 28nm process despite (again) more sanctions. Tom’s Hardware further mentions that the laptop is expected to cost between 100,000 and 120,000 rubles (or about $1,600 – $1,930 at current exchange rates), so the price/performance ratio is less than impressive, but that may be the cost of independence. Productions samples, scheduled “earlier than November” may cost less.
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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Name another ARM device with SO-DIMM RAM?
I know Marvell Macchiatobin with 1x DIMM…
I could have sworn that the Baikal-M1 only supported up to 32 GB of RAM.
Also, do single sticks of 64 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM RAM even exist?
I think there must be an error in the specs. The websites read:
which translates into the following with Google Translate:
“non-removable SO-DIMM” is odd. My earlier post about Baikal-M1 noted the maximum memory is 32GB, and 64GB SO-DIMM RAM sticks do not appear to exist (yet).
> Name another ARM device with SO-DIMM RAM?
ARM (the ISA) is not limited to the Android e-waste world.
Almost all of these ‘Server SoCs‘ can deal with (SO-)DIMM modules and from the section above at least the Phytium SoCs can do this as well. It’s about use cases and not instruction sets.
Freebox Delta Server (DDR4 ECC, 1xSODIMM). It comes standard with 2GB, but people have upgraded it to 16GB.
However, it’s a CPE with no custom firmware so it is unusable outside of Free’s network in France 😉
> Freebox Delta Server
Based on same Marvell Armada 8040 as xnc-hardware’s Macchiatobin.
My Honeycomb LX2 takes 2 DDR4 SO-DIMM.
So behind this for spec
https://www.cnx-software.com/2021/05/11/huawei-qingyun-l410-linux-laptop-is-powered-by-kirin-990-arm-processor/
I was curious about the A57 so I googled it. Contrary to my expectation that it was a successor to the A55, it is actually an old out of order core design from 2012. The predecessor to the A72. Honestly I feel sorry for the Russian people that they have to resort to such desperate measures. I doubt anybody with the option of buying the Apple M1 macbook air, or even a Pinebook Pro, would prefer this offering.
I could see someone spending up to $300 on this to have something that is comparable to a Pi 4 but with more RAM, while sticking it to the West or just out of curiosity. But it just looks like another Russian tech failure.
SMIC is working on a 7nm process right now, maybe they should make something on that instead and forget about TSMC.
You get it wrong. This product is not for mass market and all products of this company for some kind of Government or similar purposes. It is close to impossible to buy it for plain people.
Most of the time having a Lamborghini inside means nothing if it comes packaged inside an old carriage. Look at that ridiculous trackpad.
Just to make clear: “В РАЗРАБОТКЕ” in the top left corner of the first photo means “in development”. As in “it’s not working yet”. So, if anything does not add up in specs – it never supposed to. This thing is not supposed to work, it is there to extract funding from state/
You could buy Baikal monoblocks in retail, but it is quite pricey
https://imaxai.ru/shop/computers/all-in-one_elpi601
Russian cpu run on buckwheat
Runs this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWu-m0H3gIY
There are some nice interior shots at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbglIEjxSGI&t=550s
That must be for a prototype, not the final product. It looks like a collection of boards connected with thick cables, plus a bunch of 18650 batteries for power.
In case of Russian stuff you never know what it would be in retail (it wouldn’t be first time when something like that goes into production).
Plus you should keep in mind that Baikal managed to get some orders from TSMC, but it’s unlikely they’ll have any new chips.