tinyml News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 7, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Nordic Semi nRF54LM20B wireless SoC integrates 128 MHz Axon NPU for Edge AI workloads

Nordic Semi nRF54ML20B Arm Cortex-M33 wireless SoC is the first nRF54L microcontroller to integrate the ultra-efficient Axon Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for edge AI workloads. The NPU is said to deliver up to 7 times faster performance and up to 8 times higher energy efficiency versus (unnamed) competing wireless solutions for tasks such as sound classification, keyword spotting, and image-based detection. The Axon NPU is also about 15x faster compared to using the Cortex-M33 CPU for the same task. Other than the NPU, the nRF54LM20B offers exactly the same features as the earlier nRF54LM20A wireless microcontroller, including up to 2 MB NVM, 512 KB RAM, a 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 plus RISC-V coprocessor, high-speed USB, up to 66 GPIOs, and an ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz radio supporting Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Channel Sounding, Matter over Thread, and more as shown in the nRF54L comparison table below. Like other nRF54L wireless SoCs, the […]

December 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Quarky Intellio – A LEGO-compatible AI, Augmented Reality, and IoT learning platform (Crowdfunding)

Quarky Intellio is an ESP32-S3-based development kit designed as an educational platform for learning AI, Augmented Reality (AR), and IoT concepts. It is compatible with LEGO bricks and targets users aged 10 and older. The core AI-AR module features an SPI TFT display interface, a 5MP camera, a speaker and microphone, a microSD card slot for data storage, a USB-C port for programming and charging, servo and GPIO expansion ports, and a 1,000 mAh battery. The company offers a discovery kit with the core module only as well as a rover car kit, and since it’s compatible with LEGO, users can easily create their own robot. Quarky Intellio specifications: Core module – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core LX7 processor with up to 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM (SiP) Storage – 384KB ROM Wireless – WiFi 4 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.0 LE Storage – 16MB flash […]

July 31, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Seeed Studio XIAO nRF54L15 USB-C boards support Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and Amazon Sidewalk

Seeed Studio recently introduced the XIAO nRF54L15 series, which includes the XIAO nRF54L15 and XIAO nRF54L15 Sense USB-C development boards. Built around Nordic’s 128MHz nRF54L15 Cortex-M33 wireless SoC with 1.5MB NVM, 256KB RAM, these modules are suitable for wearables, smart home, IIoT sensors, and low-power wireless devices. Both boards support BLE 6.0, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Amazon Sidewalk, and proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols. The Sense variant adds a digital microphone and a 6-axis IMU. Common features include 16 GPIOs and a USB Type-C port for power, programming, and charging. Security features include TrustZone, secure boot, firmware update support, side-channel protection, and tamper detection. XIAO nRF54L15 Series Specifications Wireless MCU – Nordic Semi nRF54L15 wireless SoC CPU Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 128 MHz RISC-V coprocessor for “software-defined peripheral” Memory – 256 KB SRAM Storage – 1.5MB Non-volatile Memory (NVM) Wireless Bluetooth LE 6.0 (includes Channel Sounding) Thread, Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4-2020) Matter […]

July 28, 2025July 27, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

VS Code gets AutoML Embedded plugin for automated model tuning, deployment, and benchmarking

AutoML for Embedded, developed by Analog Devices (ADI) and Antmicro, is an open-source plugin for Visual Studio Code that works alongside ADI’s CodeFusion Studio plugin. Built on the Kenning framework, it automates the full ML pipeline, including model search, hyperparameter tuning, optimization, compression, and deployment, making edge AI development easy on resource-constrained devices. The company mentions that it supports the ADI MAX78002 AI accelerator MCU, the MAX32690 MCU, Renode-based simulation, and Zephyr RTOS. It uses SMAC and Hyperband algorithms for automated model search and hyperparameter tuning, along with model compression and quantization to meet strict memory and compute limits. The plugin offers built-in benchmarking for inference speed, memory footprint, and accuracy, while performing RAM and compute compatibility checks. All these features make it useful for applications like image classification, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, NLP, and action recognition on low-power IoT and embedded systems. AutoML Embedded overview: Type – Open-source AutoML plugin […]

May 29, 2025May 29, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

XIAO Vision AI Camera combines ESP32-C3 and WiseEye2 HX6538 AI MCU with 5MP camera, supports SenseCraft no-code platform

Seeed Studio has recently released the XIAO Vision AI Camera, a compact, open-source smart ESP32-C3 AI Camera that integrates the Grove Vision AI Module V2, a XIAO ESP32C3 module, and an OV5647 5MP camera in a custom 3D-printed PLA case. One of the key components of the camera module is the WiseEye2 HX6538 chip, which features dual-core Arm Cortex-M55 processors and an Ethos-U55 NPU for edge AI computing. It also comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, turning it into an intelligent IP camera that easily integrates with Home Assistant for closed-loop automation (e.g., object detection triggering lights or alerts). Its 5MP OV5647 camera can record 1080p@30fps video and has adjustable focus. These features make this camera useful for industrial automation, smart cities, transportation monitoring, intelligent agriculture, and mobile IoT devices. XIAO Vision AI Camera Specifications Main MCU module – XIAO ESP32C3 SoC – Expressif Systems ESP32-C3 CPU – Single-core RISC-V microcontroller @ […]

March 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

UNIHIKER K10 low-cost TinyML education platform supports image detection and voice recognition

UNIHIKER K10 is a low-cost STEM education platform for TinyML applications that leverages the ESP32-S3 wireless microcontroller with vector extensions for workloads such as image detection or voice recognition. The UNIHIKER K10 also features a built-in 2.8-inch color display, a camera, a speaker, a 2-microphone array, a few sensors, a microSD card, and a BBC Micro:bit-like edge connector for power signals and GPIOs. It’s a cost-optimized version of its Linux-based big brother – the UNIHIKER M10 – first unveiled in 2022. Arnon also reviewed the UNIHIKER in 2023, showing how to configure it, use the SIoT platform with MQTT message, and program it with Jupyter Notebook, Python, or Visual Studio Code. Let’s have a closer look at the new ESP32-S3 variant. UNIHIKER K10 specifications: Core module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 MCU – ESP32-S3N16R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM, 16MB flash Wireless – WiFi 4 and […]

March 13, 2025March 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Microchip PIC32A is a 32-bit MCU family with high-performance analog peripherals supporting up to 40 Msps

Microchip Technology PIC32A is a new family of 32-bit microcontrollers clocked at up to 200 MHz with high-speed analog peripherals that include up to 40 Msps 12-bit ADCs, high-speed 5 ns comparators and 100 MHz operational amplifiers for smart edge sensing. The PIC32A microcontrollers also feature up to 16KB RAM with ECC, up to 128KB flash, various I/O, and security and safety features that make them suitable for general-purpose applications across automotive, industrial, consumer, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and medical markets. Microchip PIC32A specifications: MCU core – 32-bit CPU @ up to 200 MHz with 64-bit FPU, instructions optimized for speed and program code size Memory – Up to 16KB RAM with ECC Storage – Up to 128KB flash with 64x 128-bit OTP area Peripherals 4x PWM generators with up to 2.5ns resolution 3x 4-wire SPI 2x I2C 3x UART; automated UART handling support for LIN 2.2, Digital […]

January 8, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Seeed Studio introduces ESP32-C3-based Modbus Vision RS485 and SenseCAP A1102 LoRaWAN outdoor Edge AI cameras

Seeed Studio's Modbus Vision RS485 and SenseCAP A1102 outdoor Edge AI cameras

Seeed Studio has recently released the Modbus Vision RS485 and SenseCAP A1102 (LoRaWAN) outdoor Edge AI cameras based on ESP32-C3 SoC through the XIAO-ESP32C3 module for WiFi and the Himax WiseEye2 processor for vision AI. Both are IP66-rated AI vision cameras designed for home and industrial applications. The RS485 camera is designed for industrial systems and features a Modbus interface, making it suitable for factory automation and smart buildings. The SenseCAP A1102 uses LoRaWAN for long-range, low-power monitoring in remote locations. Both offer advanced AI for tasks like object detection and facial recognition. Besides its built-in RS485 interface, the Modbus Vision RS485 also supports LoRaWAN and 4G LTE connectivity via external Data Transfer Units (DTUs). With over 300 pre-trained AI models, the camera can do object detection and classification tasks making it suitable for industrial automation, smart agriculture, environmental monitoring, and other AI-driven applications requiring high performance. The SenseCAP A1102 […]