NXP i.MX Category - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Toradex launches its first SMARC modules with NXP SoCs for improved compatibility and supply chain

Toradex SMARC modules with NXP i.MX 8MPlus and i.MX 95

Toradex has introduced its first SMARC-compliant system-on-modules (SoMs) with the SMARC iMX8M Plus and SMARC iMX95 SoMs based on NXP i.MX 8M Plus and NXP i.MX 95 SoC respectively. The company has made proprietary system-on-modules for years with the Colibri, Apalis, Aquila, and Verdin families. Those typically are cost-optimized and use most or all I/Os from the selected SoC, but customers are tied to one supplier: Toradex. To offer more flexibility, the company decided to introduce its first standardized system-on-modules by selecting the SMARC 2.2 standard for compatibility with existing SMARC-compliant carrier boards and adding the Swiss company as an alternative supplier. Highlights of the SMARC iMX8M Plus module: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus CPU Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 application processor @ 1.6 GHz Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 800 MHz GPU – Vivante GC380 2D GPU and GC7000UL 3D GPU VPU – 1080p60 video decoder & encoder AI accelerator […]

January 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Linux 6.13 Release – Main changes, Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS architectures

Linus Torvalds has just announced the release of Linux 6.13 on the Linux Kernel Mailing List: So nothing horrible or unexpected happened last week, so I’ve tagged and pushed out the final 6.13 release. It’s mostly some final driver fixes (gpu and networking dominating – normal), with some doc updates too. And various little stuff all over. The shortlog is appended for people who want to see the details (and, as always, it’s just the shortlog for the last week, the full 6.13 log is obviously much too big). With this, the merge window for 6.14 will obviously open tomorrow. I already have two dozen pull requests pending – thank you, you know who you are. Linus Release about two months ago, Linux 6.12 – the new LTS version – brought us real-time “PREEMPT_RT” support that had always required out-of-tree patchsets until now, the completion of the EEVDF (Earliest Eligible […]

January 7, 2025January 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

FOSDEM 2025 schedule – Embedded, Open Hardware, RISC-V, Edge AI, and more

FOSDEM 2025 will take place on February 1-2 with over 8000 developers meeting in Brussels to discuss open-source software & hardware projects. The free-to-attend (and participate) “Free and Open Source Software Developers’ European Meeting” grows every year, and in 2025 there will be 968 speakers, 930 events, and 74 tracks. Like every year since FOSDEM 2015 which had (only) 551 events, I’ll create a virtual schedule with sessions most relevant to the topics covered on CNX Software from the “Embedded, Mobile and Automotive” and “Open Hardware and CAD/CAM” devrooms, but also other devrooms including “RISC-V”, “FOSS Mobile Devices”, “Low-level AI Engineering and Hacking”, among others. FOSDEM 2025 Day 1 – Saturday 1 10:30 – 11:10 – RISC-V Hardware – Where are we? by Emil Renner Berthing I’ll talk about the current landscape of available RISC-V hardware powerful enough to run Linux and hopefully give a better overview of what to […]

December 31, 2024January 2, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

CNX Software’s 2024 Year in review, website statistics, and what to expect in 2025

That’s it! 2024 is almost over, and it’s time to reflect on what happened during the year. So I’ll look at the highlights of 2024, share some CNX Software website traffic statistics, and speculate on what may be ahead of us in 2025. Looking back at 2024 Raspberry Pi was super active this year with 22 product launches that included boards and modules like the Raspberry Pi 5 with 2GB RAM, Raspberry Pi Pico 2 and Pico 2 W, Raspberry Pi CM5, expansion modules like the Raspberry Pi AI camera, AI HAT+, and M.2 HAT+, new accessories such as the Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 and the Raspberry Pi Monitor, and the new Raspberry Pi 500 keyboard PC among others. As usual, there was also plenty of announcement of accessories from third parties, and some boards with the new Raspberry Pi RP2350 Arm/RISC-V microcontroller. There weren’t any ground-breaking Arm processors […]

December 28, 2024December 28, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Murata Type 2FR is the world’s smallest tri-radio IoT module with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and Thread connectivity

Murata has recently launched the world’s smallest tri-radio IoT modules, the Type 2FR/2FP series, as well as the Type 2KL/2LL series for hosted solutions. These compact modules feature tri-radio communication, including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and Thread, with Matter provisioning for interoperability. The 2FR/2FP series is considered the world’s smallest module (12.0 x 11.0 x 1.5mm) of this type with a built-in MCU, making it ideal for low-cost and highly integrated solutions. It prioritizes security with the latest cybersecurity standards and compatibility with the Matter ecosystem. On the other hand, the 2KL/2LL series is designed to work with high-performance processors running Linux or RTOS. These modules provide reliable tri-radio communication with advanced capabilities. Both series are designed for applications, including smart homes, buildings, industrial automation, healthcare, and more, with features like low-power operation, extended battery life, and reduced component count. Murata Type 2FR/2FP modules specifications: MCU – NXP RW610 or RW612 […]

December 19, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

AAEON’s first Arm-based SMARC 2.1 module is NXP i.MX 8M Plus-powered uCOM-IMX8P system-on-module

AAEON has released its first Arm-based SMARC 2.1 compliant CPU module, the uCOM-IMX8P built on the NXP i.MX 8M Plus SoC and offered with up to 4GB RAM, up to 128GB eMMC flash. and support for a range of interfaces such as dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, and more. The 82mm x 50mm SMARC system-on-module is designed for industrial use with a -40°C to 85°C operating temperature range, Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) support, CAN Bus, MIPI interfaces, and more. That makes it suitable for applications such as predictive maintenance, process optimization, and automated control systems with cameras and displays. AAEON uCOM-IMX8P specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus CPU – Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.6 GHz GPU – Vivante GC380 2D GPU and GC7000UL 3D GPU VPU – 1080p60 video decoder & encoder AI accelerator – Optional 2.3 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) System Memory – Up […]

December 10, 2024December 14, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

VOIPAC iMX93 industrial development kit targets AI, HMI, and Edge Computing applications

VOIPAC Technologies has recently launched its iMX93 Industrial Development Kit (iMX93 module and iMX development baseboard) which comes in Max, Pro, Basic, and Lite configurations. The system-on-module (SoM) is built around the NXP i.MX93 SoC with dual-core Arm Cortex-A55 application processor running at up to 1.7GHz, a Cortex-M33 co-processor running at up to 250MHz, and an Arm Ethos-U65 microNPU with up to 0.5 TOPS of AI performance. Other features include DDR4 memory, eMMC Flash, and industrial-grade 100-pin shielded connectors for signal integrity and thermal performance. Additionally, the devkit also exposes CAN, PWM, ADC, etc.. signals and supports WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and dual GbE. These features make the VOIPAC iMX93 industrial development kit suitable for applications including AI, machine learning, human-machine interface (HMI) solutions, and more. iMX93 Industrial Development Kit specifications: System-on-Module (four options) iMX93 Industrial Module Max SoC – NXP i.MX 93 dual-core @ 1.7 GHz with real-time Cortex-M33 co-processor NPU […]

December 5, 2024December 28, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - No Comments

u-blox MAYA-W4 tri-radio IoT module features NXP IW610 chipset with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 radios

Last year, we covered the u-blox MAYA-W3 module, which was based on the Infineon AIROC CYW5551x chipset and utilized separate chipsets for 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequencies. Now, u-blox has introduced the MAYA-W4 series, a host-based Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 module built on the NXP IW610 chipset. Designed for industrial and commercial applications such as building automation, energy management, smart homes, and healthcare, the MAYA-W4 series supports SISO Wi-Fi 6 with a 20 MHz channel width, ensuring reliable performance in dense network environments. These modules can function as access points, stations, P2P devices, or in mixed modes. The MAYA-W4 modules are compatible with the Matter protocol over Thread and Wi-Fi, facilitating seamless integration across ecosystems. With a compact size of 10.4 x 14.3 mm, these modules rank among the smallest Wi-Fi 6 SMD modules and are available with integrated antennas or U.FL connectors. Rigorous testing […]