i.MX 8M processor features neural processing unit
The i.MX 8M Plus integrates a 2.3 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) NPU, a quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 sub-system operating at up to 2GHz, an independent real-time sub-system with an 800MHz Cortex-M7, a 800 MHz audio DSP for voice and natural language processing, dual camera ISPs, and a 3D GPU for graphics rendering. The combination of Cortex-A53 cores and the NPU will allow edge devices to make intelligent decisions locally with little or no human intervention.
Built on a 14nm LPC FinFET process, the NXP i.MX 8M Plus can execute multiple, highly-complex neural networks simultaneously. The NPU is capable of processing Mobilenet, a popular image classification network, at over 500 images per second.
Machine learning inference functions can be offloaded to the NPU, to allow the Cortex-A and Cortex-M cores, DSP, and GPUs to execute other tasks. The vision pipeline is anchored by dual integrated ISPs that support two high-definition cameras for real-time stereo vision or a single 12 MPixel resolution camera and includes High Dynamic Range (HDR) and fisheye lens correction.
For voice applications, the i.MX 8M Plus uses a high-performance HiFi 4 DSP to enhance natural language processing with pre- and post-processing of voice streams. The Cortex-M7 domain can run real-time response systems while the applications processor domain executes complex non-real-time applications to reduce the overall system-level power consumption by turning off the application processor domain while keeping only the Cortex-M domain alive for wake word detection.
The i.MX 8M Plus can compress multiple video feeds using the H.265 or H.264 HD video encoder and decoder and provide a rich user experience through the 3D/2D graphics, and Immersiv3D audio with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
Supporting the IT/OT convergence found in Industry 4.0 applications, the i.MX 8M Plus features Gigabit Ethernet with TSN, when used with Arm Cortex M7 real-time processing provides deterministic wired network connectivity and processing.
The i.MX 8M Plus also provides ECC for internal memories and the DDR interface. The family is expected to be qualified to meet -40C to 105C ambient industrial temperature range, power-on profile (100 percent power-on), and is planned to be part of NXP’s industry-best longevity commitment (15 years).
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