Metis Compute Board
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Axelera Metis Compute Board pairs Rockchip RK3588 SoC with 214 TOPS Metis AI accelerator

Axelera Metis Computer Board is a Rockchip RK3588 mini-ITX motherboard equipped with a Metis AIPU (AI Processing Unit) capable of delivering up to 214 TOPS, 16GB LPDDR4 memory for the CPU, and 4GB LPDDR4x RAM for the AI accelerator. I first came across the Axelera Metis AIPU in M.2 and PCIe card in 2023, and I was rather impressed with the advertised 214 TOPS of AI performance promised in this form factor and relatively affordable $149 price tag considering the price-to-performance ratio. At the time, it was still hard to source the chip and module due to limited quantities, and in 2024, it became easier to evaluate the solution with the Axelera Metis PCIe Arm AI evaluation kit based on a Firefly ITX-3588J mini-ITX motherboard equipped with a 214 TOPS Metis AIPU PCIe card. The new Metis Compute Board is similar, but in a more compact form factor since the […]

Mekotronics R58-4x4-3U RK3588 video encoder
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Rockchip RK3588 4K video encoder features four SDI inputs, four SDI loop outputs

Mekotronics R58-4×4 3U is yet another device based on Rockchip RK3588 from the company, but this product is a 4K video encoder with four SDI inputs, and four SDI loop outputs mirroring the SDI inputs. SDI (Serial Digital Interface) inputs are used for transmitting uncompressed, unencrypted digital video signals and typically found in professional video production and broadcasting environments. The SDI interface can also be found in security cameras like the MOKOSE SHD50-2.8-12MM and I can also see it used in cameras designed for live streaming on YouTube, or other services. The main advantages of SDI over interfaces like USB, HDMI, or Ethernet, are that it can use longer cables up to 300 meters, offers better signal integrity, and has near zero latency. Compatibility for professional camera equipment is another advantage. Let’s look at the Mekotronics R58-4×4 3U specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with CPU – 4x CortexA76  […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
Rockchip RK3588 DeepSeek R1 NPU acceleration
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DeepSeek shown to run on Rockchip RK3588 with AI acceleration at about 15 tokens/s

DeepSeek R1 model was released a few weeks ago and Brian Roemmele claimed to run it locally on a Raspberry Pi at 200 tokens per second promising to release a Raspberry Pi image “as soon as all tests are complete”. He further explains the Raspberry Pi 5 had a few HATs including a Hailo AI accelerator, but that’s about all the information we have so far, and I assume he used the distilled model with 1.5 billion parameters. Jeff Geerling did his own tests with DeepSeek-R1 (Qwen 14B), but that was only on the CPU at 1.4 token/s,  and he later installed an AMD W7700 graphics card on it for better performance. Other people made TinyZero models based on DeepSeekR1 optimized for Raspberry Pi, but that’s specific to countdown and multiplication tasks and still runs on the CPU only. So I was happy to finally see Radxa release instructions to […]

anyon_e RK3588 DIY laptop
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anyon_e DIY laptop features Rockchip RK3588 SoC, 13.3-inch 4K AMOLED display, aluminum chassis

We’ve already seen several Rockchip RK3588 laptops with the Cool Pi laptop and GenBook RK3588, as well as the open-source hardware MNT Reform Next. anyon_e is another open-source DIY laptop based on Rockchip RK3588 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC but with higher-end specifications compared to competitors. The anyon_e features a 13.3-inch 4K AMOLED display, a wireless QWERTY mechanical keyboard, a custom aluminum chassis that keeps the thickness of the laptop to just 18mm, and a battery good for about 7 hours. It’s based on the FriendlyELEC CM3588 core board found in the CM3588 NAS Kit. anyon_e laptop (preliminary) specifications: SoM – FriendlyELEC CM3588 SoC – Rockchip RK3588 CPU – 4x CortexA76  cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x CortexA55 core @ 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU Video decoder – 8Kp60 H.265, VP9, AVS2, 8Kp30 H.264 AVC/MVC, 4Kp60 AV1, 1080p60 MPEG-2/-1, VC-1, VP8 Video encoder – 8Kp30 H.265/H.264 video encoder […]

MNT Reform Next RK3588 modular laptop
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MNT Reform Next is an open-source, RK3588-powered modular 12.5-inch laptop (Crowdfunding)

The MNT Reform Next brings the Rockchip RK3588 processor to the modular laptop series. It retains the open-hardware nature of the older MNT Reform and introduces a lighter and more modular design, complete with a much faster processor. The MNT Reform Next separates the three port boards from the main motherboard, allowing for greater customization and modification than its predecessors. The standard processor module (RCORE) can be swapped with other modules such as the Raspberry Pi CM4, as well as NXP i.MX 8M Plus, NXP LayerScape 1028A, and AMD Kintex-7 FPGA modules. Like the classic MNT Reform and the MNT Pocket Reform, the enclosure for the Reform Next is milled from anodized, bead-blasted aluminum. Apart from being repairable and customizable, the RK3588 modular laptop is powerful enough to be a daily driver for browsing, writing, programming, gaming, graphics design, sound creation, and video editing. MNT Reform Next specifications: SoM SoC […]

Rockchip RK3588 mainline linux status
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Rockchip RK3588 mainline Linux support – Current status and future work for 2025

The Rockchip RK3588 is one of the most popular Arm SoCs for single board computers, and while good progress has been made with regards to mainline u-boot and Linux support, the SoC is quite complex and it takes time to port all its features even though it was first teased in 2020 and the first Rockchip RK3588 SBCs were introduced in 2022. While the simpler Rockchip RK3566 and RK3568 SoCs are already fairly well supported in mainline Linux, more work is needed to upstream code, and as noted before in posts and comments here, Collabora keeps track of the status on Gitlab, and the company recently posted an article about the progress and future plans related to upstream Linux support for Rockchip RK3588. Rockchip RK3588 mainline Linux progress in 2024 Linux 6.7 kernel – Network support on the Radxa ROCK 5B using a 2.5GbE PCIe controller. Linux 6.8 kernel – […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
Rockchip RK3588 digital signage player 12 HDMI output
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Mekotronics R58-HD-1U digital signage player supports 12 HDMI outputs, video walls using three Rockchip RK3588 SoCs

Mekotronics R58-HD-1U is a digital signage player with 12 independent HDMI outputs implemented through three Rockchip RK3588 SoCs, housed in a 1U standard chassis, and mostly designed for video walls and other applications where multiple displays are close to each other. Each Rockchip RK3588 processor is coupled with up to 16GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash, and the system also offers two HDMI inputs, five Ethernet ports, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth, and seven USB ports for expansion. Mekotronics R58-HD-1U specifications: SoCs – 3x Rockchip RK3588 each with CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 GPU with OpenGL ES 3.2,  OpenCL 2.2, and Vulkan 1.2 support VPU 8Kp60 video decoder for H.265/VP9 codecs 8Kp30 video decoder for H.264 codec 4Kp60 video decoder for AV1 codec Multi-channel decoder in parallel AI accelerator – 6 […]

BredOS Arch Arm Linux for SBC
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BredOS Arch Linux Arm distribution runs on Rockchip RK3588 single board computers

BredOS is a Linux distribution based on Arch Linux Arm and optimized to run on Rockchip RK3588/RK3588S single board computers (SBCs) with current support for 22 boards from Radxa, Orange Pi, Khadas, and others. Board vendors will usually provide OS images for their SBCs, but the quality and support may be limited, so projects like Armbian and DietPi are maintaining Ubuntu and/or Debian images for popular single board computers. But if you’re an Arch Linux (Arm) fan, there are fewer choices, and you may have to roll your own port for your board. BredOS provides an easy-to-use alternative based on Arch Arm Linux. BredOS highlights (provided by the developers): User-Friendly Interface – A simplified and intuitive user interface for easy navigation and use. Arch-Based – Built on top of Arch Linux, ensuring access to a vast repository of packages and a rolling release model. Arm Support – Optimized for Arm-based […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications