VIA AI Transforma Model 1 – 3.5-inch fanless SBC features MediaTek Genio 700 AIoT SoC for Edge AI applications

VIA AI Transforma Model 1 is an edge AI platform powered by a MediaTek Genio 700 (MT8390) SoC with 4 TOPS of AI performance designed for industrial automation, smart cities, and more.

The 3.5-inch fanless SBC is equipped with 8GB RAM and 16GB eMMC flash, and offers three display interfaces (HDMI, DP, MIPI DSI), a 4-lane MIPI CSI camera interface, gigabit Ethernet networking, M.2 sockets for wireless and cellular connectivity, several USB ports,  a 40-pin GPIO header, and more.

VIA AI Transforma Model 1 specifications:

• SoC – MediaTek Genio 700 (MT8390)
  • CPU – Octa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A78 cores @ up to 2.2 GHz, 6x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 2.0 GHz
  • GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC3 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL ES 2.2, and Vulkan 1.0/1.1 APIs
  • VPU
    • Encoding up to 4Kp30 with H.265/HEVC or H.264
    • Decoding up to 4Kp75, AV1, VP9, HEVC, H.264 codecs supported
  • AI accelerators – Mediatek Deep Learning Accelerator (MDLA) 3.0 +  Cadence Tensilica Vision P6 supporting up to 4 TOPS
  • Audio DSP – Cadence Tensilica HiFi 5
• System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4X SDRAM
• Storage
  • 16GB eMMC flash
  • MicroSD card slot
• Video Output
  • HDMI 2.0b
  • DisplayPort 1.4
  • 4-lane MIPI DSI connector
• Audio – 3.5mm audio jack (line-out and MIC-in), digital audio output via HDMI
• Camera I/F – 4-lane MIPI CSI connector
• Networking
  • Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port via Realtek RTL8211F(I)-CG controller
  • Optional WiFi and Bluetooth module via M.2 Key-E module
  • Optional 4G LTE or 5G via M.2 Key-B module and Nano SIM card slot
• USB
  • 2x USB 2.0 ports
  • 2x USB 3.1 Type A ports
  • 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port (supports maximum 15W output, OTG and DisplayPort Alt mode)
• Expansion
  • 40-pin color-coded GPIO header with GPIO, SPI, I2C, UART TX/RX, 5V power input, 5V/3.3V power output, GND, PWM and PCM
  • 2x M.2 slots (PCIe 2.0 x1, Key-B and Key-E) + Nano SIM card slot
• Debugging – Micro USB port for serial console
• Misc
  • MCU for Watchdog and RTC functions
  • 2-pin RTC battery connector
  • 3-pin Auto power ON pin header
  • 2-pin Watchdog pin header
  • Power-ON button with LED
  • Software upgrade button
• Power Management
  • 5V DC input
  • PMIC
    • MediaTek MT6365 (with Audio Codec)
    • MediaTek MT6319
• Dimensions – 146 x 102 mm (3.5-inch SBC)
• Temperature Range – 0°C to 60°C
• Humidity – 0% ~ 95% relative humidity; non-condensing
• Compliance – CE, FCC, BSMI, UKCA

The MediaTek Genio 700 SBC ships with a heatsink for cooling (it’s fanless),  four plastic spacers, a 5V/8A AC-to-DC power adapter, and a power cord for US and EU. VIA provides a Debian 12 image preloaded with MediaTek NeuroPilot Pipeline optimized for AI workloads. The OS image along with the board’s datasheet, a hardware user manual, a Debian 12 user manual, a VIA Neuron Python Runtime manual for machine learning, and instructions to use various Raspberry Pi HAT+ (Enviro+ Air Quality HAT, GFX HAT with a 128×64 2.15-inch LCD, and ReSpeaker 2-Mic HAT) can all be found on the product page.

It’s far from the first Mediatek Genio 700 platform from VIA, as the company launched a SMARC system-on-module, a Pico-ITX SBC, and a fanless edge AI embedded system in August 2024. The AI Transforma Model 1 is not 100% new either, with all documentation dated October or November 2024, but I was only made aware now as it’s showcased at Computex 2025. We also have pricing information, and it’s sold on Mouser for $299.

Thanks to TLS for the tip.

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